(CNN) – The Joe Biden administration will not extend legal permits to immigrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti, requiring them to stay in the U.S. through a temporary humanitarian program designed to prevent illegal border crossings, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The decision comes nearly two years after the government introduced a new program aimed at Venezuelans seeking to travel to the United States, allowing them to temporarily live and work in the country as a way to defuse border unrest. The program requires them to have a sponsor in the US and undergo testing and validation and complete vaccinations.
The administration later expanded it to Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians, describing it as a way for immigrants to reach the United States in an orderly manner.
However, the plan has become a political flashpoint as Republicans say the administration abuses parole authority and frequently cite the plan in criticizing President Joe Biden's immigration policies.
By the end of August, nearly 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans had flown to the United States, according to federal data. The program is still available to new applicants from all four countries after the government briefly suspended it this summer over fraud concerns.
Department of Homeland Security officials expect the program to be temporary, providing an opportunity to apply for another legal status while still in the United States. While allowing parole under similar programs for Ukrainians and Afghans, the government has not guaranteed the program will be extended.
Parole for certain Venezuelan nationals will soon expire under a two-year plan. However, immigration has been a central campaign issue between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the weeks leading up to the presidential election.
“As originally stated in Federal Register notices, the granting of parole under these measures is temporary for up to two years. This two-year period is intended to allow individuals to continue to be eligible for humanitarian relief or other immigration benefits and to work and contribute to the United States,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The protection will expire over time, although some may have already sought other legal permits to stay in the U.S. Those who do not will be advised to apply for a different status, leave the U.S. or face deportation proceedings, leaving some with no legal status. In legal confusion.
Venezuelans and Haitians are eligible for some form of humanitarian relief, and some who entered the U.S. on parole have already applied for that status, Department of Defense officials said. There is a separate and distinct process that applies to Cubans, giving them a direct path to permanent status.
The most affected may be Nicaraguans, who do not have the same preferences. Asylum is an option for all nationalities, although not everyone is eligible.
The Republican Conference in the US House of Representatives criticized the administration, saying in a post several ways they could be allowed to stay.
