The Trump administration has announced plans to revoke the temporary legal status of approximately 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. This decision, effective April 24, marks the latest expansion of the former president’s tough immigration policies. These individuals had previously been granted a two-year “parole” under President Joe Biden’s administration, which allowed them to enter the U.S. by air if they had U.S. sponsors.
Since taking office, Donald Trump, a Republican, has focused on tightening immigration enforcement. One of his key priorities has been deporting migrants living illegally in the U.S. He has criticized the parole entry programs initiated by his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, arguing that they exceeded the boundaries of federal law. In response, Trump signed an executive order on January 20 to end these programs.
Trump’s administration has also been considering stripping parole status from other groups of migrants, including an estimated 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia. In early March, Trump hinted that a decision regarding the Ukrainian migrants could come soon, with the potential for their parole status to be revoked by April.
The parole programs were introduced by Biden as a response to high levels of illegal immigration from these countries, which have faced strained diplomatic and political relations with the U.S. Since 2022, Biden’s administration has expanded the program to include Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans. These programs aimed to provide legal entry pathways for individuals fleeing crisis situations while simultaneously attempting to reduce illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Trump administration’s move to revoke the parole status for these migrants could expose many to deportation, particularly those who have not secured other forms of legal protection. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicated that revoking the parole status would streamline the process for placing these migrants into expedited removal—a fast-track deportation process for individuals who have been in the U.S. for two years or less.
This shift in policy highlights the ongoing debate over immigration control and the future of migrants in the U.S., as both the Biden and Trump administrations navigate differing approaches to border security and legal immigration pathways.
