The Trump administration is preparing to revoke legal status for many migrants who entered the United States under a Biden-era program, according to a source familiar with the planning, expanding the pool of people who could be deported.
The move is expected to affect migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti who arrived during President Joe Biden’s term under a humanitarian parole program and were allowed to temporarily live and work in the US. More than 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans arrived to the US under the program.
Some are eligible for other programs that could protect them from deportation. But if they have not pursued other legal avenues to remain in the US, they may be eligible for removal, according to the source.
It’s the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to strip temporary protections for migrants already residing in the United States.
Republicans slammed Biden’s use of the humanitarian parole program, arguing that his administration exceeded its authority in its use of the program. In his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a review of parole.
Biden administration officials argued the so-called humanitarian parole authority helped drive down illegal border crossings by giving people a legal pathway to the country. The program required that migrants have a sponsor in the US, undergo screening and vetting, and complete vaccinations.
The proposal, first reported by CBS News, is still being finalized.
Many of those who arrived under the humanitarian parole program have been in the US for less than two years. Trump officials expanded a procedure to speed up deportations to include undocumented immigrants anywhere in the US who cannot prove they’ve lived in the country continuously for two years or more.
The fast-track deportation procedure, known as “expedited removal,” allows immigration authorities to remove an individual without a hearing before an immigration judge. Migrants stripped of parole may be eligible for speedy deportation.
