Why It Matters

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not have the information it needs to readily identify and monitor noncitizens paroled into the country at the southwest border, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) granted roughly 2.4 million paroles at the southwest border from October 2018 through May 2025, yet ICE does not have readily accessible information identifying which noncitizens were paroled by CBP. GAO found that ICE does not monitor these noncitizens as required.

Under federal immigration law, parole allows the Department of Homeland Security to temporarily permit a noncitizen who has not been formally admitted to the U.S. to enter or remain in the country for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Parole does not constitute admission to the U.S. or grant lawful immigration status, and DHS may terminate it when its purpose has been served.

The Big Picture

CBP encountered nearly 10.4 million noncitizens at the southwest border from October 2018 through May 2025 and granted roughly 2.4 million paroles. More than half of the paroles went to noncitizens from Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela.

CBP expanded its use of humanitarian parole in 2021 under the Biden Administration to help manage increasing encounters at the southwest border. In July 2021, Border Patrol authorized agents to parole apprehended noncitizens on a case-by-case basis under certain conditions, including limited immigration detention space.

In May 2023, CBP expanded access to its CBP One mobile application, allowing eligible noncitizens to schedule appointments for inspections at southwest border ports of entry. Almost all, or 97 percent, of CBP One appointments in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 resulted in paroles. Noncitizens paroled under the policies were generally placed in removal proceedings.

Since January 2025, the Trump Administration has directed Border Patrol and the Office of Field Operations to implement policies and guidance restricting the use of parole, and the number of paroles has decreased substantially.

Political Stakes

ICE is responsible for monitoring noncitizens paroled at the southwest border to ensure they comply with the conditions of their release. However, GAO found that ICE does not have the information it needs to readily identify noncitizens CBP paroled at the southwest border and does not monitor them as required.

In January 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE issued guidance emphasizing the importance of ICE reviewing paroled cases to determine whether further enforcement action is appropriate.

GAO concluded that obtaining parole-status information from CBP would better position ICE to monitor paroled noncitizens, review their cases, and take enforcement action in accordance with DHS and ICE guidance.

What's Next

GAO recommended that the ICE director obtain information from CBP on the parole status of noncitizens CBP paroled at the southwest border and make the information accessible to relevant ICE officials to inform monitoring and enforcement decisions.

DHS concurred with the recommendation. The department said ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations is modernizing its systems to improve visibility into a noncitizen's full immigration history and plans to work with CBP to obtain additional data on paroled noncitizens as appropriate.

But the recommendation status is open, meaning actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned. No definitive timeline has been provided for when ICE and CBP will actually share the data or integrate the systems.

The Bottom Line

The GAO analysis drew from CBP and ICE documents and CBP data on paroles granted at the southwest border from October 2018 through May 2025. GAO interviewed officials from CBP and ICE headquarters and selected CBP field locations that collectively granted more than half of paroles over the time period. They also visited selected ICE field offices responsible for monitoring noncitizens. The San Ysidro Land Port of Entry, West Pedestrian Facility in San Diego, California was among the locations examined.

This investigation occurred against a backdrop of sharp political disagreement over border parole enforcement. The Biden administration defended the parole authority as a tool to manage a surge in encounters while processing claims through the legal system. The Trump administration moved to curtail it, viewing parole as too permissive.

The GAO report, by documenting the enforcement monitoring gap, provides ammunition for critics who argue the system has been poorly managed regardless of which party oversaw its operations. The finding that ICE cannot reliably track paroled noncitizens cuts across partisan lines and is a failure of government competence that both administrations have inherited and have a responsibility to fix.

However, it also lands in a politically charged moment, when enforcement capacity and border control are central to the political agenda. ICE does not have the information it needs to readily identify noncitizens CBP paroled at the southwest border and does not monitor them as required.

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