Haitian migrant charged with rape of 15-year-old girl entered via controversial parole program: sources

Global politics expert worries influx of Haitian gang members could enter US through southern border

Dr. Sumantra Maitra joined Fox & Friends First to discuss the latest on the security situation in Haiti after the prime minister resigned overnight amid gang violence concerns. 

A Haitian migrant now charged with rape of a 15-year-old girl at a local migrant hotel was allowed into the U.S. by a controversial parole program that allows up to 30,000 migrants a month to fly into the country, sources tell Fox News.

Local authorities in Rockland, Massachusetts arrested 26-year-old Cory Alvarez, a Haitian national. Boston 25 News reported that he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Thursday on one count of aggravated rape of a child. 

The outlet reported that police responded to a Comfort Inn, which is part of a program to house migrant families.

Multiple sources tell Fox News that Alvarez came to the U.S. in June via the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan parole processes.

MAYORKAS CALLS POLICY TO LET 30K MIGRANTS FLY IN EACH MONTH A ‘KEY ELEMENT’ OF BORDER PLAN AFTER LEGAL WIN

This undated image shows Cory Alvarez, charged with aggravated rape of a child.  (Fox News)

The policy was first announced for Venezuelans in October 2022, which allowed a limited number to fly directly into the U.S. as long as they had not entered illegally, had a sponsor in the U.S. already and passed certain checks. 

In January 2023, the administration announced that the program was expanding to include Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans and that the program would allow up to 30,000 people per month into the U.S. It allows for migrants to receive work permits and a two-year authorization to live in the U.S. and was announced alongside an expansion of Title 42 expulsions to include those nationalities.

DHS WARNS HAITIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING BY BOAT FACE ‘IMMEDIATE REPATRIATION’

The Department of Homeland Security recently said the process, which it describes as a "safe and orderly way to reach the United States" is a "key element" of the administration’s efforts to address high levels of migration throughout the Hemisphere. Republicans have accused the administration of abusing the parole process with the program, but a recent lawsuit from 20 GOP-led states was recently shot down in the courts.

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico are lined up for processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Fox News is told that Alvarez flew directly from Haiti to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, and was sponsored by someone in New Jersey. Fox News is also told that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer has been lodged against Alvarez. 

Meanwhile, there are concerns about a potential migrant wave coming from Haiti as violence escalates in the Caribbean country. Florida this week sent troops and aircraft to the coast in order to prevent illegal immigrants landing in boats.

Pedestrians run for cover after hearing gunshots in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Thursday, March 7. (AP/Odelyn Joseph)

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DHS has said it is monitoring the situation in Haiti, although it has stressed that migration flows remain low. It has also warned that any migrants who cross by boat are "subject to immediate repatriation pursuant to our longstanding policy and procedures."

Bill Melugin currently serves as a national correspondent for FOX News Channel based out of the Los Angeles bureau.

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