Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico are lined up for processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Eric Gay/AP
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Eric Gay/AP
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is slashing a program that was used by the Biden administration to temporarily allow the entrance of more than half a million migrants fleeing Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
In an executive order signed Monday evening, Trump instructed the Department of Homeland Security to “terminate all categorical parole programs that are contrary to the policies of the United States established in my Executive Orders,” including the humanitarian parole program for those four countries.
“One of my most important obligations is to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,” Trump said in the order. “My Administration will marshal all available resources and authorities to stop this unprecedented flood of illegal aliens into the United States.”
Nearly 30,000 migrants had been granted the temporary stay each month since January 2023.
It’s unclear what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of people currently living with humanitarian parole.
The Biden administration paused the program due to fraud concerns. In October, it decided to not renew the legal status of those under the program, saying migrants would have to find a different path for legal status once their parole expires.
Biden’s initiative allowed migrants from those embattled countries to apply for entry from their countries due to “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit,” without having to attempt to cross illegally outside a port of entry. A U.S.-based sponsor and a background check was required to apply.
Once approved, migrants were allowed to stay in the country for up to two years, get a work permit, and be shielded from deportations.
Since 2023, 531,690 people have been granted humanitarian parole, according to DHS. The majority have come from Haiti.
The program has been credited with helping to reduce the number of unlawful crossings by migrants from those countries at the U.S.-Mexico border.
