Donald Trump Ends Legal Status for Over 500,000 US Immigrants, Orders Departure by April 24
The United States government, in a controversial move, announced on Friday that it would terminate the legal status of more than 500,000 immigrants, giving them a narrow window to leave the country.
The order, issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), affects Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who had entered the United States under a scheme introduced by former President Joe Biden in October 2022 and expanded in January 2023.
President Donald Trump’s administration stated that the affected immigrants would lose their legal protection 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
This means that by April 24, those impacted must either secure an alternative immigration status or leave the country.
The move aligns with Trump’s long-standing pledge to enforce the most extensive deportation campaign in US history and to tighten immigration controls, particularly targeting migrants from Latin American nations.
Approximately 532,000 immigrants are estimated to be affected by this directive.
According to the DHS order, immigrants sponsored under the programme “must depart the United States” by the April deadline unless they obtain another legal status that permits them to stay.
The order underscores that the scheme was always intended to be temporary.
“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 DHS noted in the order.
The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) programme, introduced by the Biden administration in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these four countries to enter the United States for a period of two years.
Biden had described the plan as a “safe and humane” approach to alleviate pressure on the overcrowded US-Mexico border.
Human rights advocates have voiced concern over the abrupt termination of the scheme.
Welcome.US, a non-profit organisation supporting refugees and immigrants in the United States, urged those affected to “immediately” seek legal counsel to explore their options.
The Trump administration’s tough stance on immigration was further underscored last week when the President invoked rarely used wartime legislation to deport over 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, which has reportedly agreed to detain migrants and even US citizens at a reduced cost.
The termination of the CHNV programme marks a significant shift in US immigration policy, sparking widespread concern among immigrant communities and human rights groups about the fate of those affected and the broader implications for immigration in the United States.
