Supreme Court Ruling Permits Termination of Certain Humanitarian Parole Programs

After a month’s long battle, on May 30, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling giving a green light to the Trump administration to terminate the CHNV parole program. CHNV refers to the four humanitarian parole programs for certain individuals of four countries – Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela – with sponsors in the United States. The Biden Administration created CHNV and rolled it out in 2022 and 2023. CHNV allowed recipients to live and work in the United States for up to two years. Over 500,000 people were granted CHNV parole by the end of President Biden’s term.

The Trump administration first announced a pause all “categorical” parole programs, including CHNV at the beginning of the administration. The DHS formally terminated the program in March 2025, claiming that CHNV parole was an “abuse” of parole authority and that the parolees imposed a “burden” on U.S. communities, but it has also admitted that the program contributed to a reduction of unauthorized entries of these nationals.

The termination precludes new applications; cuts short the two-year parole periods and the respective employment authorization documents and stops processing of pending applications. The recipients of CHNV parole are now left in legal limbo in the United States as many recipients who have not resided in the United States for two years are subject to expedited removal. DHS has pledged to “remove promptly” those who are not eligible for other immigration relief.