Trump Administration Directs Hundreds Of Thousands Of Immigrants To ‘Self-Deport’

The Trump administration is directing as many as 530,000 immigrants who came to the U.S. legally to “self-deport” as it revokes protections granted to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans by a Biden-era program.

The Department of Homeland Security began sending out notices Thursday, telling people via email that their eligibility to live and work in the U.S. were rescinded effective immediately, according to an agency press release.

That move is set to have serious consequences for people who entered the country via what’s known as the CHNV Parole Program, which was designed to provide a legal pathway for many who were fleeing violence and political instability in Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The Biden administration first began admitting immigrants via the CHNV program in 2023, granting them the ability to temporarily remain in the U.S. for two years and to receive work authorizations during that time.

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To qualify, people needed to undergo vetting and have a U.S.-based sponsor. In January, however, Trump sought to end the CHNV program via an executive order. That move was upheld in late May by the Supreme Court, which ruled that Trump could pause the CHNV program even though there’s still ongoing litigation to preserve it. The decision to wind down these protections marks one of many ways the administration has gone after immigrants with legal status in addition to immigrants who are undocumented.

Immigrants in the program must now scramble to see if they can obtain legal status via other channels, such as seeking asylum, or face potential deportation. DHS claimed those who “self-deport” will receive travel assistance as well as $1,000 upon returning to their home country.

Immigration advocates have denounced the Trump administration’s actions, noting they’ll destabilize people who took the required steps to enter the U.S. legally and establish their lives.

“The Trump administration’s decision to revoke the CNHV humanitarian parole program is a devastating betrayal of the immigrants who were legally permitted to seek safety and build their lives in the United States,” Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement in March. “This program provided a crucial lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing political persecution and violence, offering them temporary protection and the opportunity to start over and contribute to their new communities.”