In a desperate appeal to the Department of Homeland Security, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) called for protecting Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan immigrants permitted entry under the Biden administration’s CHNV parole program.
In a letter to acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman, Salazar emphasized that Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans who entered the U.S. under the “humanitarian parole” program should not face deportation, provided they have no criminal records and applied for asylum legally.
“I strongly urge you to ensure that all Cubans paroled in under the CHNV program eligible for or with pending applications for the Cuban Adjustment Act are protected from deportation until their cases are fully resolved,” Salazar urged. She further requested that other migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti under the program receive the same protections.
🚨 I’m urging Homeland Security to PROTECT Cubans awaiting legal status adjustment through the Cuban Adjustment Act.
We must ALSO protect the Venezuelans and Nicaraguans without a criminal record going through the asylum process. 🇺🇸
Don’t penalize them for Biden’s screw-ups! pic.twitter.com/WqkAQ0nhE4
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) January 24, 2025
Under the Trump administration’s stricter immigration guidelines, ICE has ramped up deportation efforts, with 593 arrests reported recently. Critics argue that the abrupt revocation of Biden’s humanitarian parole program leaves thousands of migrants in limbo. Salazar argues that these migrants, while brought in under questionable legal grounds, should still be allowed to resolve their legal status through the existing channels.
The CHNV program, which began in January 2023, has seen over 500,000 individuals granted parole, but Trump has signaled his intent to revoke these protections.
Salazar was born in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood to Cuban exiles. Therefore, her own personal ties may play a role in her plea to the Trump administration.
