The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced the revocation of legal status for more than 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, originally admitted under a Biden-era humanitarian programme.
According to a statement cited by the BBC, affected migrants must leave the United States by 24 April as their legal stay expires.
The CHNV programme, introduced under former President Joe Biden, was designed to provide a legal pathway for migrants from these four nations.
The initiative initially granted entry to Venezuelans before being expanded to include Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
Migrants and their families could enter the US on the condition that they had American sponsors and remained under temporary "parole" status for up to two years.
The Biden administration had argued that the programme was instrumental in curbing illegal border crossings at the US southern border.
However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Trump administration has now scrapped the initiative, declaring it ineffective in achieving its objectives.
While the order mandates that all CHNV beneficiaries leave before 24 April, it remains unclear how many of them will qualify for alternative legal avenues to remain in the US.
The decision has triggered anxiety among affected communities and raised concerns among immigration advocates.
Additionally, Trump’s administration is reportedly considering revoking temporary legal protections for approximately 240,000 Ukrainian nationals who fled to the US following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As the new policy takes effect, the fate of hundreds of thousands of migrants remains uncertain, sparking debates over the broader implications of Trump’s hardline stance on immigration.
