In a sweeping move impacting hundreds of thousands of migrants, the administration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced today that it will revoke temporary legal status for approximately 530,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who had been granted humanitarian parole under former President Joe Biden.
The decision, published in a Federal Register notice, will take effect on April 24, 2025, and marks a significant escalation in President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The affected individuals had received two-year parole status under a Biden-era initiative that allowed them to enter the U.S. legally by air, provided they had financial sponsors in the country. The Trump administration’s decision to end these programs comes as part of a broader effort to eliminate what it calls “unlawful expansions” of immigration authority made by the previous administration.
“The Biden administration’s abuse of parole authority ends now,” Trump said in a March 20 executive order. “We will enforce our laws and secure our borders as the American people demand.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicated that the revocation of parole status will facilitate expedited removal of these migrants, many of whom may now become vulnerable to deportation if they lack alternative legal protections. Under current policy, expedited removal can be applied to certain migrants who have been in the U.S. for two years or less.
President Trump has also indicated that a decision is pending on whether to revoke parole for approximately 240,000 Ukrainian nationals who fled to the U.S. during the war with Russia.
The affected migrants, who entered through legal pathways created to manage irregular migration and ease pressure at the U.S.-Mexico border, now face significant uncertainty. Advocacy groups have raised concerns about the humanitarian impact of the move, particularly given the ongoing crises in many of the affected countries.
The announcement is expected to trigger legal challenges and reignite debate over the scope of executive power in U.S. immigration policy.