The beneficiaries of the humanitarian parole programs for citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, could face deportation once their permits expire, following the conclusion of the program that allowed the temporary entry of migrants for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.
In an official draft from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) circulated under the signature of Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, it is specified that those who have no other legal basis to remain in the U.S. must leave the country or face deportation proceedings.
The decision responds to Executive Order 14165 from President Donald Trump, issued on January 20, 2025, which mandates securing the border and ending parole programs.
According to the statement, pending travel permits will also be revoked, the confirmed supports (I-134A) and the employment authorization derived from the parole.
However, the regulatory text does not specify that DHS does not regard the beneficiaries' expectations regarding the continuity of the program as valid, since it had been warned that it was temporary and subject to discretionary cancellation.
The argument put forth by the DHS indicates that these programs did not succeed in reducing irregular migration or significantly improving border security, and they created increased pressure on local communities, public resources, and the already overwhelmed immigration judicial system.
In total, more than 532,000 people entered the U.S. under these programs between 2022 and 2025. The DHS argues that these massive admissions, although legal under the parole provision, were contrary to the original intent of the law, which stipulates that these permits should be granted on a case-by-case basis.
The notice will be published on March 25 in the Federal Register. The program, known as CHNV for the initials of the nationalities involved, states that "people on parole without a legal basis to remain in the United States after the termination of the CHNV parole programs must leave before their parole termination date".
"We are talking about almost 500,000 people who entered under this program, half a million people, and really all of these individuals are living in the United States," said Miami Herald Elizabeth Amaran, an immigration attorney based in Miami.
Cubans at risk
The indefinite suspension of the processing of immigration applications for beneficiaries of humanitarian parole and other immigration programs could affect a total of more than 800,000 people, as it would include the 531,000 who entered through parole (of which 110,000 are Cubans, although many have already obtained their permanent residency); 240,000 Ukrainians, and also a smaller number who entered through family parole.
Among the parole recipients, those with I-220a and I-220B (released under a deportation order) total around 600,000 Cubans.
It is estimated that around 400 thousand hold the I-220A status while waiting for the resolution of their political asylum requests or a possible parole that would allow them to access permanent residency. The I-220A, granted at U.S. border points under a criterion of supervised release, is not recognized as a formal legal admission into the country.
Since the beginning of the program in 2023 and until July 2024, about 110,000 Cubans have been screened and authorized to travel.
Until the end of July, over 520,000 people from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, and Cuba benefited from this program of the Biden administration.
Expedited deportation
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had expressed its intention to revoke the legal status of over 1.8 million migrants benefiting from various temporary humanitarian parole programs that were implemented during the Biden administration.
Immigrants affected by the revocation of their status could be subject to expedited deportation processes, as was reported in early March.
According to an internal email from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seen by Reuters, those who cross the border illegally may be subjected to an "expedited removal" process up to two years after their entry.
However, migrants who entered legally through ports of entry without being formally "admitted" to the U.S.—such as beneficiaries of parole—do not have a time limit for their expedited deportation.
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