The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has terminated the parole status of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These people, who have been living and working in the country, must now self-deport or face immigration enforcement actions.
An estimated 530,000 people came to the country through the CHNV parole program. (The initials stand for "Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela.") This pathway, implemented by President Joe Biden in January 2023, granted foreign nationals from those four countries U.S. work permits and deportation protection for two years while they sought other means of legal status. To qualify for CHNV parole, migrants had to have a sponsor based in the U.S. and pass security vetting.
Republicans denounced the program as a misuse of parole authority, and in October 2024 the Biden administration decided against extending it. It's unclear how many people obtained alternative means of legal status to stay in the country after arriving under the program.
