Donald Trump, the president-elect, is prioritizing a stringent immigration strategy aimed at severely restricting migrant entry into the United States. This plan includes the elimination of two critical mechanisms that have facilitated the arrival of Cubans and others into the country. According to reports from Politico and sources within Trump's transition team, he intends to dismantle the humanitarian parole program, which currently aids citizens from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti, as well as the CBP One mobile app appointment system.
These initiatives were introduced by the Biden Administration as a method to legally and systematically allow certain migrants to enter the United States, contingent upon having sponsors and passing border security checks. By August, more than 530,000 individuals had utilized the humanitarian parole to settle temporarily in the U.S. with residence and work permits valid for two years.
Throughout his campaign, Trump criticized these programs as part of a "soft" immigration policy and vowed to enforce stricter regulations from his first day back in the White House. Immigration attorney Ismael Labrador, based in South Florida, told Univisión News that these measures are legally feasible, given the extensive powers of the executive branch. However, he also foresees potential legal challenges similar to those faced during Trump’s first term when he attempted to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 individuals, resulting in lawsuits that halted the initiative.
Potential Legal Roadblocks and Emergency Measures
This time, Trump aims for no setbacks. Conservative activist Tom Fitton mentioned that the new administration is considering declaring a national emergency to facilitate mass deportations using military resources. The CBP One app, which streamlined asylum appointment scheduling, is also under scrutiny by the incoming government. While Republicans criticized it for accelerating migrant entry, international organizations like Amnesty International labeled it restrictive and contrary to international law.
The looming return of Trump to the presidency in January is already prompting a surge in illegal crossings at the southern border, with migrants attempting to enter before the new policies take effect. Trump's forthcoming measures are designed to drastically curb immigration, escalate deportations, and renegotiate agreements with other nations to ease the repatriation of migrants. The coming months will be crucial in terms of implementation and potential legal challenges to his proposals.