Policy Alert: Revoking Humanitarian Parole for 532,000

Action: The Department of Homeland Security has announced the termination of categorical parole programs for up to 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Individuals currently authorized to be in the US under the program must depart prior to April 24 unless they obtain another legal status. This decision is currently being challenged in court.

Key Insights

• Originally launched for Venezuelan migrants in October 2022 and expanded in January 2023 to include Cuban, Haitian, and Nicaraguan nationals, the program had allowed up to 30,000 individuals per month to enter the US legally and remain for up to two years. Approximately 532,000 people entered the US under the program. Only those crossing at a regular point of entry were eligible; those who entered the US illegally were not.
• Because individuals who entered the US under the program were allowed to apply for work authorizations, the program termination may cause disruptions for employers.
• The Biden administration announced in October 2024 that it would not allow individuals who entered the US under the program to renew, beginning a rolling process of status expiration that would have ended in January 2027. Upon taking office, the Trump administration quickly terminated new entries under the program as part of a larger effort to reduce both legal and illegal immigration.
• A lawsuit challenging the Administration’s decision to revoke the legal statuses for those already in the US is ongoing.
• The Administration has stated that it plans to prioritize the removal of individuals who have not already applied to remain in the US by other options, for example, asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or family-based petitions.
• However, the Administration has simultaneously moved to limit other pathways for legal residency, including by terminating TPS protections for Venezuelans and advancing the expiration date for TPS for Haitians to August 3, 2025 – six months earlier than previously scheduled. Many of these actions have also been challenged in court.