Humanitarian parole is an administrative tool under Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to permit a person to enter the United States temporarily when doing so serves urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Parole is not a visa or permanent immigration status — it is a discretionary grant that can be revoked. Parolees are given a specific authorized period of stay and can apply for work authorization. The Biden administration used humanitarian parole at scale through the CBP One app program to process asylum seekers at the border.