The Trump administration is officially ending a key immigration program launched under former President Biden, putting more than half a million migrants at risk of deportation within weeks.
On March 25, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will revoke deportation protections and work permits for over 500,000 individuals who entered the U.S. legally through the CHNV parole program. The change will impact migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who were approved to fly directly into the U.S. under humanitarian grounds.
This sweeping reversal will take effect in late April, 30 days after the formal announcement. After that window closes, any CHNV parolee still in the country without another legal status will become a target for removal.
Migrants are being encouraged to use the CBP One app to arrange voluntary departure. However, DHS made it clear that enforcement actions may begin even before the 30 days are up, especially for those who have not applied for asylum or adjusted their immigration status.
The CHNV policy—short for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—was one of the Biden administration’s signature efforts to reduce illegal border crossings by offering legal migration alternatives. Under the policy, over 532,000 individuals were vetted and granted temporary entry into the U.S.
Shortly after returning to office, Trump paused the program. Now his administration is dismantling it entirely, arguing that it failed to properly vet entrants and put a strain on the U.S. job market.
In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the Biden-era initiative was flawed from the start.
“The termination of the CHNV parole programs, and the termination of parole for those who exploited it, is a return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First,” she said.
For now, those affected by the change have 30 days to leave the United States, or face deportation under the Trump administration’s renewed immigration enforcement efforts.
