The administration of Donald Trump has frozen the processing of immigration applications from Ukraine and Latin America.
Trump’s administration says that the decision will be applied to certain Biden-era policies amid allegations of fraud, inadequate vetting and national security concerns, VisaGuide.World reports.
The new changes are expected to affect a large number of migrants reaching the US through three major programs, as follows:
- The Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program offered temporary refugees to Ukrainians fleeing the invasion of Russia.
- The Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) program, permitted more than 530,000 migrants from these nations to enter the US with sponsors.
- Family-based parole schemes. It permitted nationals of Colombia, Ecuador, Central America, Haiti, and Cuba to stay in the United States while applying for green cards.
USCIS Justifies the Move
Following the new decision of the Trump administration, officials will no longer be eligible to process applications received under the above-mentioned programs.
This effectively freezes their ability to move into another legal status. In the interim, they would remain susceptible to removal from the country if the government terminates their parole status.
According to the USCIS memo, the move is justified after, at present, fraud information and public safety or national security concerns are not being properly flagged in the USCIS’ adjudicative systems.
The directive mentions Biden’s administration of last year to temporarily halt the parole initiative for Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans amid fraud concerns.
Affected Individuals Were Granted Temporary Protection From Deportation
A report from CBS News says that these migrants were granted temporary protection from deportation together with work permits that are valid for two years.
Some applicants started to seek more permanent legal status through asylum, green cards, or Temporary Protected Status.
However, the recent announcement from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says that all pending applications will now be frozen.
According to a report from USCIS, while the freeze is indefinite, it may be reserved following a case-by-case review of the applicants affected. The Department of Homeland Security has yet not commented on the decision, according to local media reports.
Media reports note that while the Trump administration has already decided to halt new entries under these programs, a large number of migrants already in the US can be affected by the decision.
The administration of Trump has also authorized agents to accelerate deportations for specific migrants under CHNV and considering revoking parole status for others.