U.S. Government to End Legal Status for Over 500,000 Immigrants

 

The United States government has announced the termination of legal status for over 500,000 immigrants, giving them just weeks to leave the country unless they secure alternative residency.

The order impacts approximately 532,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who entered the U.S. under a temporary immigration program launched by President Joe Biden in 2022 and expanded in January 2023.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected immigrants will lose their legal protection 30 days after the official notice is published in the Federal Register—scheduled for Tuesday, March 26. This means they must leave the U.S. by April 24, 2025, unless they obtain another legal immigration status.

The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program, introduced by the Biden administration, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these countries to enter and stay in the U.S. for two years under a humanitarian parole system. The initiative aimed to provide a safer and more humane alternative to dangerous border crossings.

However, the DHS emphasized that the program was never intended to offer long-term legal status.

"Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States," the department stated in its order.

Following the announcement, Welcome.US, an organization assisting refugees, urged those affected to immediately seek legal advice to explore possible options for staying in the U.S.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, intensifies his anti-immigration stance.

Last week, Trump invoked wartime legislation to deport over 200 suspected members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, which has agreed to imprison migrants and even U.S. citizens at a discount.

Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, focusing mainly on Latin American migrants. The latest move by the Biden administration signals an effort to tighten border policies, possibly in response to political pressure.