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The administration of Donald Trump announced on Friday the elimination of the family reunification parole program for Cuba, along with those for Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras.
In the case of Cuba, the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program (CFRP), established in 2007 under the administration of George W. Bush (2001-2009), allowed U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to apply for a temporary parole for their relatives in Cuba and bring them to the United States more quickly.
This allowed family members with approved petitions to enter the United States before their visa was available and, in the case of Cubans, to subsequently benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act.
In this regard, immigration attorney Mayron Gallardo emphasized that the measure does not affect family I-130 petitions, which continue their normal process.
What disappears is the expedited pathway that allowed thousands of people to bypass years of waiting and enter with a parole while their process was ongoing, he explained during a dialogue with journalist Mario J. Pentón.
Now that option has been removed, forcing those who wish to emigrate to comply with the usual timelines of the consular system.
According to the decision that will be published on Monday in the Federal Register, all paroles granted under these programs will automatically expire on January 14, 2026, except for those who have an I-485 adjustment of status application submitted before December 15, 2025, that is still pending on that date.
Those individuals will maintain their parole until their application is approved or denied. If the adjustment is rejected, the parole will be immediately canceled.
Gallardo warned that, except in the case of Cubans—who can adjust their status even if they accumulate unlawful presence due to the Cuban Adjustment Act—those who are not immediate family members and remain in the country after their parole expires will begin to accumulate unlawful presence, which will complicate any subsequent immigration processes.
In those cases, the alternative is to leave the country before the permit expires and wait from the country of origin for the visa to become available.
The decision by the Department of Homeland Security claims that these programs allowed the entry of foreigners with insufficient checks and that parole should return to a “case-by-case” usage.
Meanwhile, thousands of families find themselves caught in pending processes, abrupt deadlines, and a radically more uncertain migratory landscape.
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