On March 21, 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration announced a significant policy shift that will revoke the legal status of approximately 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela currently residing in the United States. This decision, detailed in a Federal Register notice and reported by Reuters, affects individuals who entered the U.S. under the Biden-era CHNV (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela) parole program and is set to take effect on April 24, 2025. For those directly impacted, as well as individuals and policymakers interested in U.S. immigration policy, this move marks a pivotal change with far-reaching implications. Here’s what you need to know.
The Trump administration is terminating a two-year humanitarian parole program, known as CHNV, which was established under former President Joe Biden. Launched in 2022 for Venezuelans and expanded in 2023 to include Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans, this program allowed eligible migrants from these countries to enter the U.S. legally by air, provided they had U.S.-based financial sponsors and met specific criteria. The program granted them temporary legal status and work permits for two years, offering a legal pathway amid high levels of illegal immigration from these nations, which have faced political instability, economic hardship, and violence.