The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced its plan to cancel legal protections for over 532,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela which can trigger mass deportation in less than one month. This decision applies to those who entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole after October 2022.
According to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the impacted individuals will be stripped of their legal status on April 24th (which is 30 days after the policy was published in the Federal Register). The affected migrants were originally granted two-year permits to live and work in the U.S. within a sponsorship-based system.
DHS Terminated the Humanitarian Parole Program
This decision comes after the Trump administration previously terminated the humanitarian parole program that it had characterized as an excess, such as asylum claims related to the war in Ukraine and violence in Haiti. Deportation was one of then-candidate Donald Trump’s central promises, as he pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. His administration has made it much more difficult for individuals to have access to legal pathways to enter or remain in the United States.
DHS clarified that parolees without a lawful basis to remain must depart before the date that their parole ends. “Parole is inherently temporary and does not provide an underlying basis for permanent residency,” the department said. Migrants’ impact and Legal Challenges Earlier, migrants under the parole program could legally stay in the U.S. as their final date on these permits expired.
The Biden rep had stopped processing applications for asylum, visas, and other legal options due to which some could have extended their stay, before this announcement. “This declaration has raised an uproar among immigrant rights advocates and legal experts,” it said further.
Several American citizens and immigrant groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking restoration of this humanitarian parole program for these four nationalities. “To be fair to poor Karen, it was a reckless, cruel, and counterproductive move,” said a very displeased Karen Tumlin, founder and director of the Justice Action Center. She further warned that the move would create chaos for families and disjoint communities around the country.
Biden’s Earlier Approach and Future Uncertainty
The Biden Government introduced the CHNV known as the humanitarian parole initiative, which was brought to encourage legal migration at the same time looking over illegal border crossings. This program, limited to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela was allowed to enter the U.S. each month with work authorization. Mexico in return agreed to take the deported migrants.
However, enforcing deportations has proven complex. Cuba has accepted around one deportation flight per month, whereas Venezuela and Nicaragua have mostly resisted accepting their own citizens back. Haiti, although still wracked with political and economic turmoil, took in a few deportation flights, especially after the influx of Haitian migrants at the Texas border in 2021.Since the end of 2022, more than half a million individuals have accessed the U.S. through this legal process.
The program is now over and their future remains unclear. Many are concerned, will they be forced to enter undocumented status and run the risk of being put in detention and deported? Federal courts are likely to play a decisive role in determining the fate of these individuals.
As legal challenges continue, immigrant communities and advocates are continuing to challenge the administration’s decision and are looking for reversals, or alternative protections for those facing deportation.As April 24 draws closer, these groups and advocates are working hard, fighting for justice for thousands of migrants now left in the lurch, while they are anxiously waiting for the unknown.
Edited By Saumya Sharan
