WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is set to terminate an immigration program by the end of April that has provided temporary protected status for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, enabling hundreds of thousands of migrants to work in the U.S. due to crises in their home countries. The Temporary Protected Status program has served as a refuge for over 532,000 immigrants under the Biden administration in 2022 and 2023, according to official figures. Advocacy groups estimate that around 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians are currently benefitting from the program.
Despite ongoing federal lawsuits aiming to halt the program’s end, some migrants may have sought alternative pathways to stay in the U.S. A significant number of migrants have applied for asylum, citing fears of persecution in their home countries. However, the decision to revoke work permits and deportation protections has left many in limbo.
Critics have labeled the efforts to dismantle the program as racist. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has urged affected migrants either to leave voluntarily or risk facing removal by government authorities. The termination of the program for the four countries is scheduled to take effect 30 days after an official notice is published in the Federal Register.
Legal battles are ongoing to challenge the termination of the program, with hearings scheduled in federal courts across different states. The program is slated to end for Venezuelans on April 3, with potential deportations starting on April 8. Haitian TPS holders are particularly vocal in their opposition to the revocation, denouncing it as an unjust attack on their community.
President Trump’s decision to end the program aligns with his stringent immigration stance, aiming to tighten border security and crack down on unauthorized entries. He has also targeted specific groups, such as Venezuelan members of the crime gang Tren de Aragua, labeling them a foreign terrorist organization.
The move to terminate the Temporary Protected Status program is part of broader efforts to overhaul immigration policies under the Trump administration. Despite the ongoing legal challenges and widespread criticism, the administration remains steadfast in its commitment to enforcing stricter immigration measures.
Noem expressed concerns about the CHNV parole programs, stating that they have replaced an unmanageable population of unlawful migration at the southwest border with a significant number of aliens in the interior of the United States without a clear path to permanent status. On November 22, 2024, Rose-Thamar Joseph, the operation director at the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, OH, organized a coat giveaway event. Noem’s filing criticized the impact of paroled immigrants on local communities, highlighting that parole allows migrants into the country through programs like Temporary Protected Status or by applying for asylum. Young parolees under 18 were eligible for food stamps and Medicaid healthcare. Noem further noted that CHNV parolees and other recent arrivals have strained limited resources such as housing, food, transportation, education, legal services, and public benefits. This article was originally published on USA TODAY under the title “Trump to end immigration status allowing Haitians, Venezuelans jobs.”
