Related videos:
The government of the United States officially reactivated the immigration processes for thousands of Cubans benefiting from humanitarian parole, providing a new legal horizon for those whose applications for residency, work permits, or family reunification processes were suspended.
The decision was confirmed this Friday in a federal court in Boston by the Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), which announced that all restrictions hindering the advancement of cases related to the parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans have been lifted, including family reunification processes (FRP) and the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program.
According to the official document shared by Cuban journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla on his blog Café Fuerte, pending applications "must be processed until a final agency action" once the corresponding security checks are completed.
The news comes as a relief for hundreds of Cuban families who, after the revocation of the CHNV program by the Trump administration and the Supreme Court ruling on May 30, found themselves uncertain about their immigration future.
USCIS announced that it has instructed all of its offices and divisions — including those for asylum, refugees, and appeals — to resume work on previously frozen applications. The scripts for the virtual assistant Enma and the call center have also been updated, so that migrants checking the status of their processes will receive updated responses.
The announcement comes following a judicial demand. Federal judge Indira Talwani, who oversees a lawsuit filed in March by beneficiaries of the parole and immigrant advocacy organizations, had set a deadline of June 19 for authorities to demonstrate that they were complying with the order not to suspend the adjudications.
Although the government requested a 24-hour extension due to the Juneteenth national holiday, it ultimately submitted the report this Friday, the 21st.
The order has direct implications for thousands of Cubans. Of the more than 110,000 who entered the United States under the CHNV program, it is estimated that around 20,000 have not yet been able to adjust their status under the Cuban Adjustment Act, due to not having met the minimum requirement of one year of residence.
For them, the USCIS announcement reopens a crucial avenue. The agency reminded that, although the humanitarian parole program was formally revoked, the applications initiated by its beneficiaries must continue their legal course, as long as there are no elements of fraud or risks to national security.
Additionally, according to Cancio Isla, new guidelines are being prepared so that all offices involved in these processes have clear tools to review and adjudicate cases fairly and in accordance with the law.
The document presented to the court also clarified that an error detected in the virtual assistant's script was immediately corrected, and that the supervisors of the local offices have already been notified of the lifting of the suspensions.
The reactivation of immigration benefits represents a significant victory for the plaintiffs and support groups that have been litigating in defense of the rights of those who entered legally through humanitarian parole.
While the program itself remains canceled, this decision ensures that Cubans who initiated proceedings can obtain a fair resolution of their cases.
The oscillation of humanitarian parole following Trump's arrival
Since Donald Trump resumed the presidency of the United States in January 2025, the humanitarian parole approved by the Biden administration—a crucial migration pathway for thousands of Cubans and other nationalities—has been characterized by uncertainty, executive orders, and legal battles.
It all began on January 20th, when the new president signed an executive order mandating the elimination of the CHNV program, created by his predecessor to allow the safe and legal entry of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
The measure, supported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), led to the immediate halt of ongoing applications and the revocation of already granted benefits, such as work permits and travel authorizations.
The official announcement came in March, when DHS published in the Federal Register the cancellation of benefits for over 530,000 migrants, and set April 24 as the deadline for the validity of their documents.
The decision caused confusion among those affected, especially among Cubans, many of whom had not yet completed the required year to qualify for the Cuban Adjustment Act.
In response to the threat of mass deportations, demands emerged. One of them was filed in the federal court in Boston by parole beneficiaries, immigration organizations, and legal advocates.
At the end of April, Judge Indira Talwani granted a preliminary injunction that
On May 30, however, the Supreme Court intervened and gave the Trump administration the green light to proceed with the cancellation, overturning the previous court order. With that ruling, fears of a wave of deportations were reignited.
But on June 21, in an unexpected turn of events, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) informed the same court that the suspensions had been lifted and that all pending applications would be processed.
The agency explained that a memorandum had been sent to its offices and that the systems had been updated to allow the awarding of applications in accordance with current regulations.
This legal zigzag, between executive decisions and judicial rulings, has turned humanitarian parole into a battleground between two opposing views on immigration policy. For thousands of Cubans, it represents much more than a formality: it is the thin line between hope and forced return.
A provisional closure for a story still unfolding
Although USCIS's decision to reactivate the processing of applications provides a tangible relief for thousands of Cubans, the story of humanitarian parole is far from over.
The program remains formally revoked, and its continuity as a legal pathway for migration is subject to the will of an administration that has sought to dismantle it since day one.
The resumption of procedures does not imply a restoration of the program, but rather compliance with a court order that protects the rights acquired by those who were already part of the system. It is a partial relief, contingent upon the absence of detected elements of risk or fraud in individual cases, and there are no guarantees for new applications.
Furthermore, the ongoing litigation in the federal court of Massachusetts is proceeding, and new rulings could once again change the rules of the game. Additionally, there is the possibility that the Trump administration will issue further restrictive provisions that could affect both unresolved cases and the resulting benefits.
In this scenario, the key word remains uncertainty. Cubans with parole must stay informed and documented, and seek legal advice if their cases encounter delays or risks.
The path of migration adjustment, although still possible, is now approached with greater caution and depends on both individual factors and the changing political and judicial landscape in the United States.
For now, the message is clear: the procedures continue, but the situation remains unsettled. Hope persists, but the legal battle is not over.
Filed under: