Trump Vows to End Biden's 'Parole' Program for Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti

Former US President and Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, promised on Wednesday that if he wins the election, he will eliminate the humanitarian parole program that grants temporary work permits for migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti.

In an interview with Fox News, the Republican also said he would shut down the CBP One mobile app that migrants use to schedule appointments to present themselves at a US border entry port.

“I would revoke it,” said Trump, who described CBP One as “bad” but claimed that parole is “even worse” because it allows beneficiaries to fly into the United States.

Despite parole recipients having legal status to stay in the US for two years, Trump referred to them as “illegal immigrants” who should not be in the country.

“Get ready to leave, especially if you’re criminals,” Trump threatened if he wins the November 5 election, over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Trump has placed immigration at the center of his presidential campaign, intensifying his anti-immigrant rhetoric by spreading the false claim that Haitians in an Ohio town are eating their neighbors’ pets.

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90,000 Nicaraguans entered the US with parole

The humanitarian parole program, which began in late 2022 for Venezuelan citizens and was later expanded to include citizens from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti, has allowed nearly half a million migrants to safely  enter the US, according to data from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Of those, about 90,000 are Nicaraguans.

The parole program grants entry to the US for up to a combined 30,000 people from these countries each month, allowing them to obtain a work permit for a period of two years.

To apply for the permit, migrants must have a sponsor in the US who already has legal status and can demonstrate sufficient income to financially support the beneficiary of the program.

The Biden administration designed this program, along with implementing new restrictions at the border, to try to reduce the number of undocumented migrants arriving in the US.

This article was published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch.