Trump Ends Legal Protections for 530K Cubans, Haitians, and More

• Trump cancels parole status for 530,000 migrants.
• Biden’s parole initiative aimed to lower illegal border crossings.
• Quick removal procedures will be implemented for deportations.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has announced the termination of temporary legal status for 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, according to a notice from the Federal Register released on Friday. This action represents the latest phase in his administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts.

Set to take effect on April 24, this decision will end the two-year “parole” program initiated by former President Joe Biden, which allowed these migrants to enter the U.S. via air with sponsorship from U.S. citizens.

Upon taking office, Trump, a Republican, intensified immigration enforcement measures, including a mission to deport a record number of undocumented migrants. He has claimed that the legal entry parole programs set up by his Democratic predecessor exceeded federal law, leading to his January 20 executive order calling for their elimination.

On March 6, Trump indicated that he would soon make a decision regarding the parole status of approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who arrived in the U.S. amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. His comments were in response to a Reuters report suggesting his administration aims to revoke their status shortly, potentially as early as April.

In response to rising illegal immigration from these groups, Biden introduced a parole entry program for Venezuelans in 2022, which he later extended to Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans in 2023. The relationships between the U.S. and these four nations have been strained politically and diplomatically.

This new legal framework aimed to address increased illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The revocation of legal status for these half a million migrants under the Trump administration may leave many vulnerable to deportation if they opt to remain in the U.S. It is also uncertain how many individuals who entered the U.S. under the parole program may have obtained alternative legal protections or statuses.

In a notice slated for formal publication in the Federal Register on Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that withdrawing parole status would facilitate the transition of these migrants into an expedited removal process.

Under a policy enacted during the Trump presidency in January, expedited removal is applicable to certain migrants who have been in the U.S. for two years or less.