The Trump administration has officially ended the parole program for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants.
The decision is set to be published on March 25, 2025, in the Federal Register, the official journal of the U.S. government. After this date, beneficiaries present in the United States without another legal status will have 30 days, until April 25, 2025, to leave the country.
This announcement marks a major turning point in U.S. immigration policy and could have significant consequences for thousands of people currently benefiting from this status.
The CHNV programs, established in 2022 and 2023 under the Biden administration, allowed certain migrants from these four countries to enter the United States legally and obtain temporary work authorization. Now, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed their termination, in accordance with Executive Order 14165, signed by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025.
According to data published last year by the Biden administration, only a small percentage of parole program beneficiaries are expected to be affected by this decision, as the vast majority have already obtained another legal status.
As of June 2024, the U.S. government estimated that more than 320,000 Haitians had benefited from this program. All of them were eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). However, those who arrived after the TPS redesignation are directly impacted by this measure and face potential deportation if no action is taken.
This executive order aims to strengthen border security and eliminate measures deemed inconsistent with the White House’s new immigration policies. The Trump administration has emphasized that remaining beneficiaries must leave the U.S. within 30 days unless individually granted an exception by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
“The U.S. government must take all appropriate measures to secure our borders and prevent the entry of foreigners in an irregular situation,” states the presidential order.
The DHS justifies this termination by stating that parole should only be granted on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, rather than as collective programs applied to thousands of migrants.
For the thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans currently living in the United States under this program, the DHS announcement brings an end to a period of uncertainty. Those unable to obtain another legal status will have to leave the country or face deportation.
This decision has already sparked strong reactions from immigrant rights organizations, which denounce a return to restrictive policies that put asylum seekers fleeing humanitarian and political crises in their home countries at risk.
