Parole Surge Undercuts Legalization Gains

The Biden administration combined record legal admissions and naturalizations with a massive surge of parole and border encounters, but the scale of parole and repeat border crossings overwhelmed agencies and created political backlash that undercut broader modernization efforts. The result: administrative modernization (refugees, work authorizations, TPS) coexisted with border perceptions of disorder, producing a mixed legacy. — Shows how policy achievements (naturalizations, restored resettlement) can be politically nullified by operational choices (large parole programs and unmanaged encounters), with implications for future executive‑led immigration strategies and electoral politics.