WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has issued new guidance empowering federal immigration officers to strip temporary legal status from migrants admitted under former President Joe Biden’s “parole” programs. This move is part of a broader effort to accelerate deportations to record levels, according to a Department of Homeland Security memo released Thursday.
The guidance expands the scope of “expedited removal,” which now applies nationwide to individuals who entered the U.S. within the past two years. Previously, this process was limited to those apprehended within 14 days of entry and within 100 miles of the border during Biden’s tenure.
President Trump, who returned to the White House on Monday, defended the expansion as a necessary response to what he described as a surge in illegal immigration under Biden’s policies. Critics, including immigrant rights groups and some Democrats, argue the measures could disproportionately harm non-criminal migrants, disrupt communities, and separate families.
Immigrant advocacy organization Make the Road New York filed a lawsuit Wednesday to challenge the policy, citing concerns over due process and family unity. The policy shift has sparked heated debate over the balance between immigration enforcement and human rights.