The Trump administration has announced plans to end the temporary legal status for more than half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
According to a federal government notice, these migrants are being warned to leave the U.S. by April 24, when their permits and deportation protections will be revoked. The 530,000 individuals had entered the U.S. under a Biden-era sponsorship program, known as CHNV, designed to create legal migration pathways. However, Trump suspended the program when he took office.
It remains unclear how many of these migrants have secured alternative legal status allowing them to stay in the U.S. in the meantime. The CHNV program was launched by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2022, initially covering Venezuelans before expanding to other countries.
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The program permitted migrants and their immediate families to enter the U.S. if they had American sponsors, where they could stay for two years under temporary immigration status, called parole. The Biden administration argued that CHNV would help reduce illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border while providing better vetting for migrants entering the country.
On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) criticized the previous administration, stating that the program had failed in its objectives. The DHS said that Biden's officials "granted them [migrants] opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed."
Nevertheless, the 35-page notice in the Federal Register mentioned that some individuals in the U.S. under CHNV might be allowed to stay on a "case-by-case basis."
Trump is also contemplating whether to revoke the temporary legal status for approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who fled to the U.S. due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The CHNV program facilitated the entry of around 213,000 Haitians into the U.S. amid worsening conditions in Haiti, along with more than 120,700 Venezuelans, 110,900 Cubans, and over 93,000 Nicaraguans before Trump terminated the program.
In addition, last month, DHS announced plans to end another immigration program, temporary protected status (TPS), for 500,000 Haitians living in the U.S. starting in August. TPS was originally granted to nationals of countries facing unsafe conditions, such as armed conflict or environmental disasters.
DHS also suspended TPS for Venezuelans in the U.S., though this move is currently facing a legal challenge.
Since Trump took office, his immigration policies have faced numerous legal obstacles.
Source: BBC