The Biden administration has announced that it will not extend a two-year program that allowed migrants from certain nations to enter the U.S. if they arrived by plane with sponsorship. The program began in 2022 with Venezuelans and later expanded to Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans. The decision not to extend the program comes just a month before the 2024 presidential election, with Democrat Kamala Harris adopting a tougher stance on immigration.
Homeland Security officials stated that migrants who have reached the two-year mark must now apply for another type of legal status, leave the country, or face deportation. There are alternative pathways for many of the nationalities, such as temporary protected status for Venezuelans and Haitians, which allows them to remain in the U.S. due to extreme violence or natural disasters in their home countries. The program was intended to allow individuals to seek humanitarian relief and contribute to the U.S.
New migrants to the border are still able to apply for the program, and the decision does not impact migrants from Afghanistan or Ukraine. The move by the administration coincides with criticism from Republican Donald Trump regarding immigration policies, particularly targeting Haitians. Homeland Security emphasized that the two-year program was created to help migrants seek legal status and contribute to the U.S. economy.
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