President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security wasted no time unraveling yet another Biden-era immigration policy, swiftly announcing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) now has the authority to deport foreign nationals who entered under Biden’s parole programs. The move, outlined in a Thursday memo, signals a clear shift back to immigration policies that prioritize law and order over bureaucratic loopholes. According to the directive, migrants who were granted parole under Biden’s more “generous” policies could soon find themselves facing expedited removal—a stark contrast to the previous administration’s open-door approach.
Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman detailed the administration’s plan to empower ICE to revoke the legal status of roughly 1.4 million migrants who entered under two particularly controversial Biden-era programs: the CBP One app and the CHNV program. The CBP One app, a digital fast pass for asylum claims, allowed 1,450 migrants per day to book appointments at U.S. ports of entry—essentially giving them a scheduled entry into the country with minimal resistance. Unsurprisingly, Trump’s administration wasted no time in shutting down the program on Inauguration Day, canceling any pending appointments and making it clear that border security was back on the agenda.
The scope of these programs is staggering. Since launching in January 2023, the CBP One app alone funneled over 919,000 migrants into the country, often sidestepping standard immigration protocols. Meanwhile, the CHNV program admitted 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, granting them temporary legal status for two years. By the time Trump returned to the White House, more than 530,000 individuals had entered under this program, all under the banner of so-called “humanitarian relief.” However, Trump’s DHS is calling it what many conservatives have suspected all along—a reckless misuse of executive authority that undermined national security and border integrity.
A DHS spokesperson didn’t sugarcoat the situation, accusing the Biden administration of using the humanitarian parole program as a backdoor method to allow mass migration with little to no oversight. The spokesperson emphasized that Trump’s immediate shutdown of these programs was a necessary step to restore order and ensure that parole was reserved for truly exceptional cases rather than being used as a blanket entry permit. The memo also directed ICE to conduct individual reviews of cases and determine whether those who entered under these programs should be subject to expedited removal or placed in standard removal proceedings.
The administration’s guidance on enforcement discretion made it clear that each case must be reassessed, especially in light of shifting legal and factual circumstances. Huffman underscored that these measures align with Trump’s broader immigration strategy, including the policies outlined in the January 21 notice, “Designating Aliens for Expedited Removal.” This directive maximizes the use of expedited deportation, allowing the federal government to remove migrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years without the usual drawn-out legal battles. For Trump supporters, this marks a much-needed return to common-sense immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, critics are already gearing up for another round of dramatic outrage over an administration that dares to prioritize American citizens over a never-ending influx of undocumented migrants.
