Washington, D.C. — The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday that the U.S. government will not extend parole status for people who arrived through the private sponsorship program for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Although the sponsorship program will keep running and grant up to 30,000 people per month from these four countries with short-term protection, the announcement leaves many existing participants with limited options to seek other protections and stay in the U.S.— and some options vary by nationality.
Most Venezuelan and Haitian parolees may be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Cubans may be eligible for a green-card path thanks to the Cuban Adjustment Act. For Nicaraguans and others to whom these paths aren’t available, applying for asylum or permanent residency through a relative may be the best options.
“The Biden administration’s decision not to renew parole for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela underscores the need for Congress to modernize immigration laws,” said Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum. “These kinds of temporary legal paths help reduce pressure at the Southern border, but only as a Band-Aid. Republicans and Democrats should come together on reliable, secure and orderly paths as part of reinforcing border security.
“Having cleared a path for this group of people to come here lawfully, the administration needs to ensure that parolees are not priorities for deportation to these four countries, which continue to face serious challenges. In addition, the administration should ensure parolees have access to information on other applicable pathways.”