Trump administration ends family reunification parole for seven countries

Another blow for Latino immigrants. The Trump administration has announced the definitive cancellation of all Family Reunification Parole programs, a migration mechanism that allowed citizens of seven countries —Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras — to enter the United States temporarily to reunite with close family members while awaiting the resolution of other immigration procedures. The decision, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and formalized through a notice in the Federal Register, will affect thousands of people.

The announcement, dated December 12, brings an end to the modernized family reunification programs implemented in 2023, as well as the processes that already existed for Cubans and Haitians, which had been created in 2007 and 2014, respectively. According to the government, the measure responds to concerns related to fraud, failures in vetting processes, and risks to national security, and represents a substantial shift from the immigration policy promoted during the presidency of Joe Biden.

Through 2024, some 59,000 people from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras had received this protection, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

Per the notice published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the programs will be officially terminated today, December 15, 2025. For those who entered the country under these programs and still held valid parole, the government set January 14, 2026, as the date on which their authorization to remain in the United States will end. The document establishes two exceptions: cases in which the beneficiary filed an application for adjustment of status — using Form I-485 — before or on December 15 and whose petition remains pending, and those in which the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, determines, after an individual analysis, that the parole should not be revoked.

Those who do not fall under these exceptions and lack a legal basis to remain in the United States must leave the country before the termination date of their parole. The DHS indicated that it will notify each affected person individually, and that the cancellation of permission to remain will also entail the revocation of employment authorization granted under these programs.

In its statement, the government defended the decision as a return to Congress’s original intent regarding the use of parole. The decision represents an abrupt turn from the policy implemented by the Biden administration.

In July 2023, the then-president announced the expansion of family reunification parole for citizens of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. One month later, the Democratic administration reported that it was updating existing processes for Cubans and Haitians. The objective, as explained at the time, was to offer a legal and orderly pathway for relatives of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to enter the country while waiting for a visa to become available, a process that in many cases can take several years.

Under those programs, eligible immigrants could receive authorization to work and remain in the United States for a period of up to three years while their permanent residence applications progressed. At the time, then-DHS secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas defended the initiative as an effective tool to reduce irregular and dangerous migration by combining the expansion of legal pathways with strict enforcement of immigration law.

According to the DHS, immigrants will receive instructions on the steps to follow after the revocation of their parole and work permit. Those who must leave the country will be urged to use the CBP Home application to report their intention to depart. The government also issued a reminder that incentives are available in certain cases, such as financial assistance, help obtaining travel documents, and the waiver of civil fines.

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