The Department of Homeland Security announced that the agency placed an administrative hold on all pending immigration benefit requests from participants in the Biden-era parole programs for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, as well as a similar program offering parole for migrants fleeing the war in Ukraine. Under the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela parole programs unveiled in January 2023, up to 30,000 migrants per month from those countries were allowed to enter the U.S. and work legally for up to two years. To qualify, migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Ukraine were required to apply for parole from their home countries first and the U.S. would expel any migrant that attempted to enter the U.S. unlawfully through Mexico without first applying for parole. The parole programs required applicants to have a U.S. sponsor and many of those approved have since secured work permits and found jobs in the U.S. The administrative hold will stymie migrants’ efforts to secure a green card or another legal status, leaving them vulnerable to deportation.
