According to NYT, the order came from a senior official at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, mandating an immediate halt to making "final decisions" on applications related to these programs until they are reviewed and a decision is made regarding their potential cancellation.
This move indicates the Trump administration's broader strategy to curtail programs allowing temporary entry into the United States, NYT writes.
"This suspension on parole decisions is similar to the suspension of all asylum access at the border and the suspension of the refugee program," said Yael Schacher, the director of Americas and Europe for Refugees International.
“It’s a testament to the administration’s hostility to all humanitarian immigration.”
Administration officials claimed President Donald Trump believes many of these programs were initially unlawful. They specifically criticized programs that allowed over 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua to enter the United States with financial sponsors.
NYT notes that the affected programs include the "Uniting for Ukraine" (U4U) initiative from the Biden administration, which allowed Ukrainian immigrants to temporarily enter the U.S. with financial sponsors. As of September 2023, over 150,000 Ukrainians had benefited from this program.
Voice of America journalist Ostap Yarysh also reported changes to the Ukrainian programs on X.
"There are also changes to programs for Ukrainian refugees, including Uniting for Ukraine (U4U), initiated by Biden," he said.
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now pausing it. Applications for asylum under this program will not be processed for the time being. Migration lawyers will likely provide more details.”