In this historical photo, migrants cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso with the intention of seeking asylum in the U.S. on May 5, 2023.
Washington D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday that it will revoke legal protections for approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who entered the United States since October 2022, placing them at risk of deportation within a month.
The decision affects individuals who arrived under the humanitarian parole program, which granted them two-year permits to live and work in the U.S., provided they had financial sponsors. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that their legal status will terminate on April 24, 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.
This policy reversal follows earlier attempts by the Trump administration to limit the use of humanitarian parole, a tool traditionally used to provide temporary refuge to individuals fleeing war or political instability. The Trump administration’s decision to revoke these protections has drawn sharp criticism from legal advocates and activists.
Karen Tumlin, founder and director of the Justice Action Center, described the move as “reckless, cruel and counterproductive,” predicting it will create “needless chaos and heartbreak for families and communities across the country.” The Justice Action Center is among the organizations that filed a lawsuit against the government in late February, challenging the termination of humanitarian parole programs for these nationalities.
The Biden administration had previously allowed up to 30,000 individuals per month from these four countries to enter the U.S. with work authorization, while also persuading Mexico to accept an equivalent number of deportees. However, deportation efforts have been hampered by the reluctance of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to accept their citizens. Haiti, despite accepting some deportation flights, faces ongoing turmoil that complicates the process.
The CHNV program, initiated in late 2022, aimed to create legal pathways for migrants while discouraging illegal border crossings. The revocation of these protections signals a significant shift in the administration’s approach, raising concerns about the potential consequences for hundreds of thousands of individuals and their families.
The DHS maintains that parole is inherently temporary and does not provide a basis for obtaining permanent immigration status. However, critics argue that the abrupt termination of these protections will leave many in a precarious legal situation, potentially leading to widespread deportations.
