Y., a Venezuelan woman, was working her regular shift at a California Walmart on Monday when a startling notification appeared on her phone. An email from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed her that it was time to leave the United States. The email stated that DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate her parole immediately. Feeling overwhelmed, Y. expressed her panic, saying, "I got nervous, desperate," in an interview with NPR conducted in Spanish. Despite entering the U.S. through a CBP One appointment, Y. now feels unsafe.
The Trump administration is now instructing certain migrants who entered the U.S. using the CBP One mobile app to leave the country immediately. This decision is part of a broader initiative to revoke temporary legal status for migrants who entered during the Biden administration under the legal authority known as humanitarian parole. Launched in January of 2023, the CBP One app allowed migrants to schedule appointments at legal ports of entry instead of crossing the border illegally to seek asylum. This program was a key element of the Biden administration's strategy aimed at alleviating pressure at the U.S.-Mexico border by establishing temporary legal pathways.
However, the Trump administration has swiftly dismantled this policy, urging migrants who benefited from it to depart immediately. An emailed statement from the DHS Press Team emphasized that canceling these paroles is a commitment to the American public to secure borders and bolster national security. While DHS confirmed that formal termination notices were sent to some migrants who entered the U.S. through the CBP One app, they did not disclose the number of individuals affected.
Y. arrived in the U.S. with her two children in July 2024, after waiting over eight months in Mexico for an appointment via the CBP One app. She is among the over 936,000 migrants who used this app to schedule their entries at ports of entry. Following the termination notice, the DHS is now advising migrants to report their departures through the same mobile application, recently rebranded as CBP Home. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented on the launch, stating, "With the launching of the CBP Home app, we are restoring integrity to our immigration system."
The Trump administration has already terminated parole for more than 500,000 individuals who entered the U.S. through another Biden-era program aimed at Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. However, protections for those under programs like Uniting For Ukraine or Operation Allies Welcome, which also rely on humanitarian parole, remain intact for the moment. The recent notice warns that migrants whose parole has been revoked will lose their work authorization and may face criminal prosecution, fines, or removal from the U.S.—although exceptions exist for those who have obtained a lawful basis to stay.
The DHS has not clarified how the termination notices will affect migrants currently applying for asylum, Temporary Protected Status, or other forms of protection. Erika Pinheiro, the executive director of the nonprofit Al Otro Lado, noted that many people are confused, especially those with pending applications or court proceedings. "The vast majority should still be protected from deportation temporarily," Pinheiro explained, as they do not have final orders of removal and are contesting deportation in immigration courts.
For Y. and many others, the primary consequence of the termination may be the loss of work authorization tied to their parole. However, Pinheiro warns that the notifications can also instill a sense of fear among recipients. "The fear that they're putting into individuals receiving the letter is real," she said. Y. is one of those individuals. Over the past two months, she has felt immense anxiety, describing her situation as being in a state of limbo.
Y. traveled by land from Venezuela through Mexico, where she faced a traumatic experience, including being sexually assaulted by Mexican police on her way to her CBP One appointment. Now settled in California, she is working legally at Walmart and preparing for her first immigration court hearing this Thursday. "I'm anxious and scared, but I will go," she stated. "I'm going to continue to do things the right way."
