US ends legal status for over 500,000 migrants, deportations imminent

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will revoke legal protections for more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, paving the way for mass deportations within a month.

The policy shift impacts approximately 532,000 individuals who arrived in the US in October 2022 under the humanitarian parole program, which granted them temporary residency and work permits for two years.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that affected migrants will lose their legal status on April 24 —30 days after the policy is officially published in the Federal Register.

This decision aligns with President Donald Trump's campaign promise to expel millions of undocumented migrants and marks an escalation in efforts to dismantle legal pathways for immigration. The administration has justified the move by citing what it calls “broad abuse” of the humanitarian parole system — a longstanding mechanism used to offer temporary refuge to those fleeing war or political instability.

DHS has made it clear that parolees without a lawful basis to remain in the US. "must depart" before their status expires. “Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status,” the department stated.

Previously, beneficiaries of the program could stay in the US until their parole period expired, though the administration had halted processing their asylum, visa, and other applications that might have allowed them to stay longer.

The policy is already facing legal challenges. A coalition of US citizens and immigrant advocates has sued the Trump administration, arguing that terminating humanitarian parole is unlawful and seeking to reinstate protections for affected nationalities.

Karen Tumlin, founder of the Justice Action Center, condemned the move, calling it “reckless, cruel, and counterproductive.” “This decision will cause needless chaos and heartbreak for families and communities across the country,” she said.

Under the Biden administration, the parole program allowed up to 30,000 people per month from the four nations to enter the U.S. legally. Mexico agreed to take back an equal number of migrants who arrived outside legal channels. However, deportations have been difficult—Cuba typically accepted only one deportation flight per month, while Venezuela and Nicaragua largely refused repatriation. Haiti, meanwhile, accepted deportees despite ongoing turmoil that has strained US efforts.

Since late 2022, more than half a million migrants have entered the U.S. through the parole program, known as CHNV. The Biden administration had positioned the initiative as a way to encourage legal migration while curbing unauthorized border crossings.

With the revocation of their status, thousands now face an uncertain future as legal battles and deportation proceedings unfold.