500,000 immigrants affected: Trump admin revokes humanitarian parole for these 4 nations; tells them to leave US
The notices are being sent via email to individuals who entered the country under a humanitarian parole program initiated by the Biden administration in October 2022. Approximately 532,000 people from the four nations had been granted two-year permits under the program, which allowed them to live and work in the US with financial sponsorship.
DHS confirmed that the letters state their work authorization and legal status are now 'effective immediately' terminated.
The agency encouraged those affected to leave voluntarily through a mobile application called CBP Home, promising a travel stipend and a $1,000 payment upon return to their home country. However, the department offered no details on how it would track departures or distribute payments.
The decision follows the US Supreme Court's ruling last month that allowed the Trump administration to dismantle the program, which the former president had vowed to eliminate, calling it an example of 'broad abuse' of the humanitarian parole system.
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'This is a deeply destabilizing decision,' said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refugee. 'These are people that played by the rules... they passed security screenings, paid for their own travel, obtained work authorization, and began rebuilding their lives.'
Zamora, a 34-year-old Cuban mother who came to the US in 2023 under the program, said she's afraid of being detained while her child is at school. 'I'm afraid to return to Cuba, the situation is very difficult there,' she said. Zamora is seeking permanent residency through the Cuban Adjustment Act but has not yet received approval. 'I'm going to wait quietly without getting into trouble,' she added.
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