Trump administration moves to end temporary residency for over half a million migrants

The Trump administration has announced the termination of legal status for more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, effectively ending their participation in parole programs that allowed them temporary residence in the United States.

The decision, revealed in a notice posted by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), targets individuals from these countries and their immediate family members who had been granted authorization to travel and apply for entry under the categorical parole programs, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The DHS stated that it would be rescinding "categorical parole programs for inadmissible aliens" from the listed countries. These programs, which allowed citizens or nationals of the designated nations and their families to request permission to enter the US for temporary stays, are now officially coming to an end.

According to the DHS notice, migrants who had been part of these programs will be required to leave US territory by April 24, 2024, which is 30 days after the official publication of the notice in the Federal Register. The announcement marks the latest in a series of measures by the Trump administration aimed at cracking down on immigration and reversing policies implemented by the Biden administration.

"The Biden-Harris Administration abused the humanitarian parole program to indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants to enter our country. This was all stopped on day one of the Trump Administration,” the department said in a statement.

The move signals a tightening of immigration policies, with a particular focus on reducing the number of individuals granted temporary residency and work permits. The phased elimination of the parole programs, which began in January, is part of the administration’s broader efforts to limit immigration pathways and enforce stricter controls on foreign nationals seeking entry into the US.

By Vafa Guliyeva