The United States government has announced the termination of legal status for more than half a million immigrants, requiring them to leave the country within weeks.
The decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s pledge to enforce one of the most extensive deportation operations in US history, primarily targeting immigrants from Latin America.
The order impacts approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived under a program initiated by former President Joe Biden in October 2022 and later expanded in January 2023.
According to the directive, they will lose their legal protection 30 days after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) publishes the order in the Federal Register, which is set for Tuesday.
This means affected individuals must leave the US by April 24 unless they secure an alternative legal status.
Welcome.US, an organization assisting refugees and migrants, has advised those impacted to seek legal counsel immediately.
The affected immigrants were admitted under the Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program, which allowed up to 30,000 people per month from these nations to enter the US for two years.
The initiative was part of Biden’s strategy to ease pressure at the overwhelmed US-Mexico border, promoting what he described as a “safe and humane” approach to migration.
However, DHS emphasized that the program was always meant to be temporary. The agency clarified that parole does not grant permanent immigration status or serve as a path to legal residency in the US.
Meanwhile, Trump recently invoked wartime legislation to deport more than 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, which has agreed to imprison migrants and even US citizens at a reduced cost.
