Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — President Donald Trump will revoke the temporary legal status of 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela in the United States. The initiative was according to an official notice from the Federal Register on Friday (March 21).
The decision marks an expansion of Trump’s hardline immigration policies and is set to take effect on April 24. It will also shorten the two-year parole period previously granted by the Biden administration, which allowed migrants to enter the U.S. by air if they had a sponsor.
Trump has taken steps to tighten immigration enforcement, including a push to deport large numbers of undocumented migrants. He argues that the parole program launched under his Democratic predecessor exceeds federal legal limits. Trump called for the termination of the program through an executive order on January 20.
Biden introduced the parole program for Venezuelans in 2022 and expanded it to include migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua in 2023, as his administration grappled with a surge in illegal immigration from those countries.
The legal pathway was part of Biden’s broader effort to curb illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Diplomatic and political relations between the four nations and the U.S. have also become increasingly strained.
Migrants Faces Deportations
The Trump administration’s decision to revoke legal status for half a million migrants could leave many vulnerable to deportation if they choose to remain in the United States. It remains unclear how many of those who entered under the parole program have secured other forms of legal protection or status.
In a notice set to be officially published in the Federal Register on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that ending the parole status will facilitate the placement of migrants into expedited removal proceedings, commonly referred to as “fast-track deportation.”
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During his campaign, Donald Trump vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. As president, he has also moved to restrict legal pathways for migrants to enter and remain in the United States.
Under a Trump-era policy reinstated in January, expedited removal can be applied to certain migrants who have been in the U.S. for two years or less. Therefore, under the new policy, individuals granted parole must leave the country before their parole expires unless they obtain a legal basis to stay.
(Raidi/Agung)
