The U.S. administration will revoke the temporary legal status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans in the United States, according to a Federal Register notice. This decision marks a significant expansion of the administration's immigration crackdown and will take effect on April 24.
This action terminates a two-year "parole" granted to these migrants under the previous administration, which allowed them to enter the country by air if they had U.S. sponsors. The current administration's approach aims to enhance immigration enforcement, continuing a trend seen under prior leadership, which sought to increase deportations of undocumented migrants. The former president had argued that the parole programs introduced by his Democratic predecessor exceeded federal law and called for their termination in an executive order issued on January 20.
On March 6, it was mentioned that the administration was considering stripping parole status from approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who had fled to the U.S. This followed reports indicating a potential plan to revoke their status as early as April.
The previous administration established a parole entry program for Venezuelans in 2022 and later expanded it to include Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans in 2023, amid rising illegal immigration from these countries. Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and these nations have been tense.
The introduction of these new legal pathways was part of efforts to curb illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, the decision to revoke legal status for half a million migrants may leave many at risk of deportation if they choose to stay in the U.S. It remains uncertain how many individuals who entered on parole have subsequently obtained other forms of protection or legal status.