Official Statement on Recent U.S. Immigration Policy Changes Affecting Vulnerable Populations
On March 21, the Trump Administration announced two policy changes that severely impact vulnerable immigrant populations: (1) the revocation of temporary legal status for approximately 530,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) individuals who lawfully entered the United States through a private sponsorship parole program, and (2) the termination of a crucial program providing legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children.
Individuals who came to the United States through humanitarian parole program did so legally with the support of American citizens who were willing to support them and were granted two-year temporary status. Many have established lives, secured employment, enrolled their children in schools and have become integral parts of our communities. They followed the rules of a program specifically designed to provide safe, legal pathways to those fleeing humanitarian crises.
The abrupt decision to terminate their legal status and require departure by April 24 - giving families just over a month to uproot their lives - is not only inhumane but counterproductive to America’s values and interests.
Simultaneously, by terminating its contracts with numerous nonprofits that provided legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children, the Administration has left approximately 26,000 children to navigate our complex immigration system alone. These children, many of whom have fled violence, trafficking, and extreme poverty, are among the most vulnerable individuals in our immigration system and desperately need legal support to ensure their rights and safety are protected.
Together, these actions:
Disrupt the lives of over half a million people who complied with all legal requirements
Undermine the United States’ credibility as a nation that honors our commitments
Place vulnerable people at risk of returning to dangerous conditions they fled
Harm American businesses and communities that have integrated these individuals
Abandon 26,000 vulnerable children to face deportation proceedings without legal support
Increase the risk of trafficking and exploitation for unaccompanied minors
“These decisions represent a profound betrayal of America’s promise to those who sought safety through legal channels. The adults affected trusted our system, followed every rule, and now face an impossible deadline to abandon the lives they’ve built. The children impacted are now left to navigate a torturous legal system alone, without assistance to present their cases fairly. Anyone who genuinely cares about child welfare and preventing human trafficking should be particularly alarmed by this development. Behind each of these cases is a human being with hopes, dreams, and people who depend on them.”
- Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, Their Story is Our Story (TSOS)
Call to Action
TSOS calls on the Administration to reverse these decisions - to honor the full two-year commitment made to CHNV parole recipients and to reinstate legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children. We urge Congress to create permanent solutions that provide certainty for vulnerable populations who have followed legal pathways to seek safety in the United States, and to ensure that no child faces immigration proceedings without adequate legal representation.
We also call on Americans to stand with their neighbors, colleagues, classmates, and community members affected by this policy. The stories of these individuals are part of our collective American story, and we must not allow them to be erased.