The United States announced on Friday that it will end the legal status of more than half a million immigrants, giving them only weeks to leave the country.
President Donald Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation effort in U.S. history and tighten immigration policies, with a particular focus on migrants from Latin America.
This new order impacts approximately 532,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, who entered the country under a program introduced by President Joe Biden in October 2022 and expanded in January 2023.
According to the order, these immigrants will lose their legal protection 30 days after the directive is published in the Federal Register, which is expected to happen on Tuesday. This means that, unless they secure another form of legal immigration status, they will be required to leave the U.S. by April 24.
Welcome.US, an organization that assists refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S., urged those affected to seek immediate legal advice from an immigration attorney.
The CHNV (Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans) program, introduced in early 2023, allowed entry for up to 30,000 migrants per month from these nations for a period of two years, offering a temporary pathway for individuals fleeing harsh conditions and human rights abuses.
While President Biden described the program as a “safe and humane” measure to relieve pressure on the heavily burdened U.S.-Mexico border, the Department of Homeland Security emphasized that the program was always intended to be temporary.
“Parole is inherently temporary,” the department stated in its order. “It does not serve as a foundation for obtaining permanent immigration status, nor does it constitute official admission into the United States.”
Additionally, last week, President Trump invoked rarely used wartime legislation to deport over 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, a country that has agreed to detain both migrants and even U.S. citizens for a fee.
REF: AFP
