WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Jan. 23, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice directing immigration officials to review cases of individuals who are currently in the United States on humanitarian parole to determine whether to terminate their parole status and begin an expedited process to remove them from the United States back to their home country.
This action will impact newcomers who arrived legally through an authorized humanitarian parole program and followed all immigration rules. This includes newcomers that Americans privately sponsored through humanitarian programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and, possibly, Ukrainians and Afghans with parole status. It will also impact the communities and employers who have welcomed them, as many of these individuals arrived in the United States with immediate work authorization.
Welcome.US CEO Nazanin Ash issued the following statement:
“Humanitarian parole is a legal authority that has been used for nearly a century by Republican and Democratic presidents alike to respond to humanitarian crises. The Eisenhower Administration admitted nearly 30,000 people from Hungary following the collapse of the anti-Communist revolution and from the 1960s through the 1990s, presidents of both parties used humanitarian parole to establish programs that helped hundreds of thousands people fleeing persecution from Cuba, Vietnam, and other areas find refuge in the United States. Most recently, it has been used to help Afghans after the takeover of their country by the Taliban in 2021; Ukrainians after the Russian invasion in 2022; as well as Venezuelans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans escaping authoritarianism and Haitians seeking safety as their government collapsed.
“Over the past three years, Americans in all 50 states have played a unique role, serving as private sponsors and providing safety and the integration support that has enabled people forced to flee their homes to rebuild their lives in the United States. Both the American sponsors and newcomers passed thorough background checks, security vetting, and financial reviews carried out by the U.S. government. Sponsors have welcomed newcomers in 12,000 different zip codes—providing housing and immediate essential needs, helping newcomers find employment and enroll kids in school, and extending a helping hand as friends and neighbors. These newcomers have become valuable members of their new communities, contributing to local economies and businesses, becoming our new neighbors, colleagues, and, for many of us, members of our extended family.
“This new directive puts vulnerable people who followed all the rules in grave danger and if carried out, will disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and newcomers they have sponsored. Welcome.US is committed to supporting all those who have participated in these safe, orderly, legal pathways, and the communities and employers who have benefited from them.”
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About Welcome.US
Welcome.US is a national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans and American institutions from all corners of the country to welcome and support those seeking refuge here. By unleashing the power of our civil society, the compassion of the American people, and innovations in the private sector, we have transformed our national resettlement system. Americans in 12,000 zip codes and across all 50 states have raised their hands to welcome newcomers through safe, legal, and orderly pathways—providing support to newcomers and our communities to thrive together and strengthen local economies.
