Advance Copy: CAM Enhancements

This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 04/11/2023

"This notice announces enhancements to the Central American Minors (CAM) Program by, among other things, updating certain eligibility criteria for program access. The CAM Program allows certain qualifying individuals to request access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) on behalf of their qualifying children who are nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (collectively known as northern Central America or NCA), and certain family members of those children, for possible resettlement, or if ineligible for refugee status, for possible parole in the United States. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) are announcing changes to the CAM Program consistent with an Executive order (E.O.) issued on February 2, 2021, which directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to consider actions to reinstitute and improve upon the CAM parole process, leading to the reopening of the broader CAM Program as part of the USRAP. The CAM Program is a key component of the Collaborative Migration Management Strategy (CMMS), the first U.S. Government strategy focused on strengthening cooperative efforts to manage safe, orderly, and humane migration in North and Central America and complements other U.S. Government efforts to manage the flow of irregular migration to the United States, by providing a lawful, safe, orderly, and humane pathway for certain Central American children to come to the United States and reunite with family members. It also helps to reduce strain on limited U.S. resources through more managed migration and promotes family unity. DATES: The program enhancements announced by this notice are effective on [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER], with implementation to follow as operational updates are made to accord with the enhanced program, including required revisions to the DS-7699, Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) for Minors Who are Nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras, after a separate Federal Register notice to follow."