The United States has announced the termination of legal status for around 532,000 immigrants, giving them just weeks to leave. This move targets Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who entered the US under a program launched in 2022 by President Joe Biden. The Department of Homeland Security’s order will be published Tuesday, giving immigrants until April 24 to depart unless they secure other immigration status.
The program, called the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV), allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these countries to enter the US for two years. However, the Department of Homeland Security emphasized that the program was always intended to be temporary. The affected immigrants will lose their protection 30 days after the order’s publication.
Welcome.US, an organization supporting refugees, urged those affected to consult an immigration lawyer immediately. The CHNV program was introduced as a solution to ease pressure on the US-Mexico border and was promoted by Biden as a safer, more humane option. However, the program’s temporary nature now requires migrants to leave or seek alternative legal status.
In related news, President Trump recently invoked wartime legislation to deport over 200 Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, which has agreed to imprison them. This reflects the administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, especially from Latin American countries.