The Trump administration has announced plans to revoke the temporary legal status of approximately 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV). This decision affects individuals who entered the United States under the “humanitarian parole” program initiated during the Biden administration, which granted two-year stays with work permits to migrants from these countries.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has indicated that the termination of these protections will take effect on April 24, 2025. Migrants affected by this change are required to depart the United States before their parole termination date to avoid deportation proceedings.
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“Although originally intended to enhance border security and offer lawful alternatives to irregular migration, the CHNV parole programs no longer align with this administration’s policy direction and fail to serve a significant public benefit,” the DHS notice reads.
The humanitarian parole program was initially launched in October 2022 to manage surges at the border by providing a legal pathway for migrants from these nations.
However, the program faced challenges, including instances of fraud, leading to a pause and subsequent restrictions on extending temporary legal status.
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The agency emphasized that “parole” was always intended to be a narrow, discretionary tool granted only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. The categorical nature of the CHNV programs, DHS now says, deviated from that intent.
Though the cancellation of the programs is expected to impact thousands of migrants, DHS maintains that the decision is necessary to enforce immigration laws effectively, reduce strain on federal resources, and realign with national interest and foreign policy objectives.
Individual parolees who remain in the U.S. without legal status beyond their parole period may be placed into expedited removal or immigration court proceedings.
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