They did things ‘the right way.’ Now Trump is turning them into undocumented migrants | Opinion
With illegal immigration top of mind for voters in last year’s elections, President Donald Trump pledged to carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” But his administration is not only targeting people living in the shadows.
Trump is working toward his deportation goal by going after those who were granted legal status by the U.S. government.
Essentially, Trump — with the stroke of a pen — can turn hundreds of thousands of people with legal status into undocumented migrants, and then plan to send them back to countries where their safety is at risk.
Trump is canceling deportation protections and work permits for more than 531,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have entered the country under a Biden-era humanitarian parole program that’s set to end in late April. The program — known by the acronym for the nations enrolled, CHNV — was created in January 2023 to help control the flow of migrants across the border.
Recipients have 30 days to leave the country once a federal notice is published, expected on Tuesday.
That’s on top of Trump also revoking an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans — 350,000 of them will lose their protection from deportation on April 2 even though Venezuela remains under the oppressive regime of Nicolas Maduro. In August, TPS will expire for 500,000 Haitians, whose country’s capital is on the verge of falling under gang control.
No other state will be as impacted as Florida — South Florida is home to large communities of Cubans, Haitians and Venezuelans in particular. Eighty percent of CHNV holders live in the state, which also has the largest population of TPS beneficiaries, the Herald reported.
It’s hard to fathom the impact on local economies if millions of people who have been allowed to work in the U.S. start leaving the country in the next 30 days and beyond. These are workers at local business, renters, taxpayers. With low unemployment, it’s hard to argue they have taken opportunities away from U.S. citizens.
By revoking programs that allow people to live legally in the U.S., Trump undermines the argument his own party has made that migrants who follow the law are welcome. Is Trump’s goal truly to make sure the U.S. is a country of law and order, or to rid the nation of unwanted immigrants? And where will he stop?
Are other legal immigration avenues — i.e. the family-based immigration system that critics vilify as “chain migration” — next?
It is one thing to make sure American borders are secure and that people who commit serious crimes are deported. It’s another thing to, in the name of America First, start purging people who contribute to the nation.
We understand the conundrum presented by programs meant to be temporary like TPS and CHNV, which offered a two-year deportation reprieve to recipients. The Trump administration criticized the latter because: “These programs do not serve a significant public benefit... did not sufficiently mitigate the domestic effects of illegal immigration,” according to a notice set to be published in the Federal Register.
Yet simply revoking these programs is another example of Trump reacting to complicated issues with a sledge hammer approach. It’s not sound policy; it’s punishment.
The people who benefited from these programs have been here for years, integrated into society. Think of the low-paid but physically demanding jobs some of these migrants perform, taking care of our elderly, cooking in restaurant kitchens and more. To deem them a burden to Americans is not only a stretch but misinformed.
CHNV recipients had to have a U.S.-based financial sponsor, arrange for their own airfare and pass background and health screenings to be eligible for the program. Even Miami Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar agrees they should have an opportunity to possibly remain in the U.S., the Herald reported. Some 75,000 of them have applied for asylum, the Herald reported.
Did American voters truly vote for Trump because they wanted to force people to return to dangerous and unstable countries? We hope not.
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This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 5:41 PM.