World Relief Responds to Termination of Parole Sponsorship Programs & Threats of Deportation, Pleas for Mercy for Haitians, Venezuelans, Ukrainians, Afghans and Others at Risk

Contact: wr@pinkston.co

(Baltimore, MD) January 24, 2025 – On Monday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order ordering the termination of “parole” sponsorship programs that have allowed individuals from specific countries facing humanitarian crises to enter, reside, and work in the United States lawfully. The Department of Homeland Security has now halted one such parole program for individuals from Haiti, Venezuela, and other countries, while it is unclear if a similar program for individuals from Ukraine will also be canceled. 

Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security announced the expanded use of expedited removal, which allows the government to deport individuals without judicial review in certain circumstances, particularly for certain individuals who cannot prove they have been present in the United States for at least two years. Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security reportedly provided guidance on the revocation of parole such that these individuals — who were allowed by our government to lawfully enter into the United States after being inspected and sponsored by an individual lawfully present in the United States — could be quickly deported to their countries of origin.

Given the ongoing crises in these countries, World Relief laments the decision to terminate these parole sponsorship programs and pleads with President Trump and his administration to reconsider. 

World Relief praised the creation of these parole sponsorship programs when they were announced in 2022, and we have worked in close partnership with local churches and volunteers to welcome and serve thousands of individuals who have come lawfully to the U.S. with parole from these troubled countries, as well as those coming with parole from Afghanistan and Ukraine. This week’s policy changes — if not halted by legal challenges — will mean that individuals who have been living and working lawfully in the United States will lose those protections. They will presumably lose their jobs and could be deported to countries that remain in states of humanitarian crisis.

“Haiti has been in a state of emergency for many months,” notes World Relief Haiti country director Pascal Bimenyimana. “The U.S. Department of State has warned Americans not to travel to Haiti ‘due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited healthcare.’ To return hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have been residing lawfully in the United States to Haiti now would be inhumane, exacerbating the crisis facing the resilient Haitian people. Rather than forcibly returning Haitians living abroad, whose lawful work in the United States is both contributing to the U.S. economy and helping to sustain their family members still in Haiti, we urge Americans to partner with World Relief and our local church partners to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti with compassion, working toward a future where no one feels the need to leave their homeland.”

Similar crises exist in Venezuela, Cuba, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other countries from which hundreds of thousands of individuals have been paroled into the United States in recent years.

“We affirm the Trump administration’s stated goal of ensuring secure our borders, but these actions will undermine those efforts,” said Matthew Soerens, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief. “People fleeing violence and crises would, of course, prefer to come lawfully to the United States on an airplane and be met by a family member, friend or church group who has committed to be financially responsible for them while they get on their feet — but as that opportunity is withdrawn, more are likely to make the desperate decision to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border to avail themselves of the asylum protections offered under longstanding U.S. law, even if the administration has also sought to make it difficult to access those legal rights.”

“Furthermore, this parole sponsorship program came about as a part of careful negotiations between the U.S. government and our neighboring country of Mexico, and the cancellation of this program could interrupt Mexican cooperation that has been significantly responsible for the sharp decline in border arrivals in recent months,” added Soerens.

World Relief has not seen a formal notice of suspension of the Uniting for Ukraine parole sponsorship program for individuals from Ukraine, and we urge the Trump administration to sustain this vital, lifesaving program.

Many Afghans also were brought to the U.S. using similar parole authority, including many at risk of Taliban persecution because of their affiliation with the U.S. military. While many have since been granted other legal protections such as Special Immigrant Visas, Temporary Protected Status or asylum, others remain present lawfully with parole that could be revoked, placing them at risk. 

“We urge Congress to act quickly to ensure that these individuals can access permanent legal protections by passing legislation such as the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act,” said Chelsea Sobolik, World Relief’s Director of Government Relations. 

World Relief encourages any individuals concerned with the impacts of these or other executive actions on themselves or their families to consult with an immigration attorney or a non-profit organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide legal assistance on immigration matters, including many World Relief offices and local churches affiliated with World Relief.