US to deport over 500,000 migrants from 4 countries
What's the story
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to end legal protections for more than 532,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
They were previously granted two-year permits to live and work in the US with financial backing.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed their legal status would be terminated on April 24 or one month after it appears in the Federal Register.
Impact
Policy change affects those under humanitarian parole program
The new policy only applies to those already in the US who entered through the humanitarian parole program.
This comes after the Trump administration's earlier decision to eliminate what it called "broad abuse" of the program.
Historically, this legal tool has been used by presidents to allow entry and temporary stay for people from war-torn or politically unstable countries.
Temporary status
DHS emphasizes temporary nature of humanitarian parole
DHS said parolees with no legal ground to remain in the US "must depart" before their parole expires.
The department reiterated "parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status."
Under the previous policy, beneficiaries of the program could stay in the US until their parole expired, but applications for asylum and other immigration benefits weren't being considered anymore.
Opposition
Legal challenges and criticisms of the new policy
The decision to end legal protections has already been contested in federal courts.
A coalition of American citizens and immigrants have sued the Biden administration for terminating humanitarian parole; they want the program to be reinstated for these four nationalities.
Karen Tumlin, founder and director of Justice Action Center, one of the organizations that sued at the end of February, called Friday's move "reckless, cruel and counterproductive."
Immigration strategy
Biden administration's approach to immigration
The Biden administration had earlier permitted up to 30,000 people a month from these four countries to enter the US for two years with work authorization.
It had also convinced Mexico to agree to take an equivalent number back from the countries, given limited options for deportation.
However, Cuba usually accepted only about one deportation flight a month, while Venezuela and Nicaragua refused any.
Despite accepting many deportation flights, Haiti's continued chaos has complicated US efforts in this area.