Luttrell proposes bill for DHS to report crimes by paroled immigrants

Morgan Luttrell U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 8th district | Official U.S. House Headshot

By North Houston News

Feb 27, 2025

Congressman Morgan Luttrell from Texas has introduced a new piece of legislation titled the Criminal Illegal Alien Report Act. This bill mandates that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provide Congress with reports on crimes committed by individuals who entered the United States under specific parole programs, such as those for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. The report would include details about their nationalities and any connections to terrorist or transnational criminal groups.

"If we're serious about securing our country, we need to know exactly what we're up against," said Congressman Luttrell. "The bill I introduced will give Congress the hard facts we need to work with the Trump administration to strengthen security and make sure those who threaten our communities are stopped in their tracks. Protecting Americans should be the top priority."

Since the start of the CHNV parole program, over 500,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have been granted parole at various ports of entry across the nation. Major airports where these individuals have arrived include Houston in Texas, Miami in Florida, and Los Angeles in California.

Two incidents involving individuals paroled into the U.S. highlight concerns addressed by this legislation. Jose Ibarra from Venezuela was involved in a fatal attack on Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia. Ibarra had initially been encountered by Border Patrol in September 2022 and released on immigration parole. Another case involves Renzo Mendoza Montes, who was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor in Campbell County, Virginia in January 2024 after being paroled into the country.

A recent policy change by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on January 20, 2025, ended all categorical parole programs including CHNV and terminated the use of an app for scheduling appointments for inadmissible aliens. This led to a significant decrease—93%—in encounters with inadmissible aliens at southwest border ports of entry within just 11 days following this change.