U.S. Freezes Immigration Applications for Biden-Era Migrant Parole Programs

Trump Administration Suspends Applications Amid Fraud and Security Concerns

The Trump administration has paused applications for three major Biden-era migrant parole programs, affecting thousands of migrants from Latin America and Ukraine. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the freeze, described as an “administrative hold,” aims to identify cases of fraud, public safety risks, and national security concerns.

Which Programs Are Impacted?

The suspension affects pending applications under three key parole programs:

  • Uniting for Ukraine (U4U): This program provided humanitarian parole for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Before the freeze, approximately 240,000 Ukrainians had entered the U.S. under this initiative.
  • CHNV Parole Program: Allowed migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to legally enter the U.S. via travel authorization. Over 530,000 migrants arrived through this policy before it was briefly suspended last year due to fraudulent sponsor applications.
  • Family Reunification Parole (FRP): Open to nationals from Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, and Haiti, this program let U.S. citizens and green card holders sponsor relatives for entry while they applied for lawful permanent residency.

DHS Cites Fraud, National Security Risks

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the application freeze, stating it will remain in effect until additional vetting is completed.

A Feb. 14 memo, first reported by CBS News, from Andrew Davidson, a senior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official, ordered an agency-wide hold on processing pending benefit requests under these programs.

The memo identified several fraud concerns, including:

  • Applications submitted by “serial sponsors” supporting multiple migrants.
  • Use of deceased individuals’ information in applications.
  • Repeated instances of identical addresses appearing across multiple applications.

The USCIS memo also warned that some migrants admitted under CHNV were not fully vetted, raising additional security concerns.

Legal Uncertainty for Thousands of Migrants

Many migrants under these programs had applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), asylum, or green cards to secure permanent residency. However, the freeze means USCIS will not process any applications from migrants who arrived through these now-suspended Biden-era policies.

“This effectively freezes their ability to move into another legal status,” said Lynden Melmed, a former chief counsel at USCIS.

The Trump administration has also taken additional steps to roll back these programs. Federal immigration officials have been authorized to seek the deportation of some migrants who entered the U.S. under the CHNV policy. The administration has also drafted plans to revoke parole status for many others.

What’s Next?

The DHS memo suggests the application pause could be lifted, but only after a “comprehensive review” of all individuals who entered the U.S. under these programs. Until then, thousands of migrants remain in legal limbo, facing uncertainty about their future in the United States.

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