The Trump Administration has initiated a significant message toward restoring immigration enforcement by terminating parole for hundreds of migrants who entered the U.S. through the Biden-era CBP One app. These parolees, many of whom failed to apply for asylum or other legal protections, received notices instructing them to leave the country within seven days or face deportation.
One such notice read plainly: “It is time for you to leave the United States.” It further warned: “If you do not depart the United States immediately you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States.”
Roughly 900,000 migrants were paroled into the U.S. through CBP One, an app that former President Trump criticized for enabling abuse of the asylum system. On day one of his return to office, Trump discontinued CBP One and introduced CBP Home, which now directs migrants to self-deport.
DHS confirmed the action, stating: “CBP has issued notices terminating parole for individuals who do not have lawful status to remain.” This action does not apply to those under specific Biden-era programs like U4U (for Ukrainians) and OAW (for Afghans aiding U.S. forces).
While immigration activists and liberal lawyers claim the notifications caused “fear” and “confusion,” the reality is that many parolees were never on a path to lawful residency. Some, like Afghan national Hekmatullah Quvanch, expressed fear of deportation despite having a pending asylum application. Quvanch, a former journalist who fled the Taliban, told media: “I am worried, scared and confused.”
Still, immigration attorney Delia Salvatierra acknowledged: “Just because the current administration wants them to leave doesn’t mean that they have to leave if they have a pending court hearing.” However, she noted that work permits linked only to parole may no longer be valid.
Advocates like Julianna Larsen from the Arizona Refugee Center claim the Trump Administration is using fear to push self-deportation. “It’s fear,” she said, accusing the administration of creating “chaos.”
The message reflects a return to law and order at the border and the end of broad, discretionary parole policies that critics say opened the door to unchecked entry and undermined the integrity of the immigration system.
