Biden administration won’t extend legal status for certain migrants from four countries

The Biden administration won’t extend legal permissions for certain migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti provided through a temporary humanitarian program designed to curb illegal border crossings, requiring them to seek other legal means to remain in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The decision comes nearly two years after the administration rolled out a program geared toward Venezuelans seeking to come to the United States, allowing them to temporarily live and work in the US as a way to mitigate surges at the border. The program required that these migrants have a sponsor in the US, undergo screening and vetting, and complete vaccinations.

The administration later extended the program to Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians, describing it as a way for migrants to come to the US in an orderly manner.

But the program became a political flashpoint as Republicans have argued the administration was misusing parole authority and have frequently cited the program in their criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

By the end of August, nearly 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans had flown into the US under the policy, according to federal data. The program is still available to new applicants from the four countries, though the administration briefly paused it this summer over concerns about fraud.

Homeland Security officials maintain the program was intended to be temporary, providing those who arrived the opportunity to apply for other legal status while in the United States. The administration didn’t guarantee the program would be extended, though it did allow re-parole for Ukrainians and Afghans under similar programs.

Parole for certain Venezuelans is set to lapse soon, in line with the two-year program, but it also comes as immigration remains a central campaign issue between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris just weeks from Election Day.

“As initially stated in the Federal Register notices, a grant of parole under these processes was for a temporary period of up to two years. This two-year period was intended to enable individuals to seek humanitarian relief or other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible, and to work and contribute to the United States,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.

Protections will lapse over time, though some people may already have sought other legal permissions to remain in the US. Those who have not will be instructed to apply for another status, leave the US or face deportation cases — potentially leaving some in legal limbo.

Venezuelans and Haitians are eligible for Temporary Protected Status — a form of humanitarian relief — and some who paroled into the US have already applied for that status, according to Homeland Security officials. There’s a separate and unique process that applies to Cubans, providing them a direct path to permanent status.

Those most impacted may be Nicaraguans, who don’t have the same options. Asylum is an option for people all nationalities, but not everyone qualifies.

House Homeland Security Committee Republicans slammed the administration, saying in a Friday post on X, “Parole may not be renewed for some Venezuelans flown in through the unlawful Biden-Harris CHNV program, but there are numerous other ways they could be allowed to stay.”

CNN’s Camila DeChalus contributed to this report.