The United States Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday (October 4) that the Biden administration will no longer update a temporary humanitarian entry program that has benefited hundreds of thousands of immigrants who arrived in the United States in recent years with U.S. sponsors.
According to Reuters, since October 2022, around 530,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have entered the U.S. by plane and were granted permission to reside in the U.S. for two years under a parole program set to expire in the coming weeks.
However, many of these immigrants can still stay in the U.S. through other programs.
The parole program allows immigrants with U.S. sponsors to enter the country for humanitarian reasons or if their entry is deemed to be of significant public interest. The program will continue to accept new applications from immigrants overseas.
The Biden administration introduced the parole program as a way to provide a legal pathway for immigrants to enter the country and reduce illegal border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico. During Biden’s presidency, the number of illegal immigrants apprehended reached a historic high, but in recent months, with new border restrictions implemented by the Biden administration, the number of border crossings has sharply declined.
Immigration has been one of the most pressing issues for voters in the upcoming U.S. election on November 5. Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris will face off against Republican nominee and former President Trump in the election, with Trump having criticized this parole program.
Deputy DHS spokesperson Naree Ketudat stated in a release that the parole program for the four countries will no longer be extended, in line with the original plan outlined when the program was initiated.
Ketudat said that immigrants not granted further stay in the U.S. “will have to leave the U.S. before their parole period ends, or they may face deportation proceedings.”
Other parole programs for Ukrainians and Afghans have been postponed.
Most immigrants from these four countries who entered the U.S. under the so-called CHNV parole program have pathways to remain in the country.
Under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, many Cubans are eligible for permanent residency and eventual citizenship in the U.S.
Most Haitians and Venezuelans in the U.S. are eligible for Temporary Protected Status, which shields them from deportation and allows them to obtain work permits.
Individuals from these four countries can all apply for asylum in the U.S.