The revised guidelines, effective Jan. 4, 2010, will permit parole from detention–which temporarily authorizes aliens to enter the United States without being formally admitted or granted immigration status–of aliens arriving at U.S. ports of entry who establish their identities, pose neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community, have a credible fear of persecution or torture, and have no additional factors that weigh against their release.

The new guidelines also mandate that all such arriving aliens should automatically be considered for parole–a significant change from prior guidance that required aliens to request parole in writing.

U.S. immigration laws generally require aliens who arrive in the United States without valid entry documents to be immediately removed without further hearing; however, arriving aliens can pursue protection in the United States if they are first found by a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) asylum officer or an immigration judge to have a credible fear of persecution or torture in their home country.

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