500,000 Immigrants Receive Deportation Notices Under Ended CHNV Program
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began issuing deportation notices on Thursday to approximately 500,000 foreign nationals who had received temporary permission to live and work in the United States under the CHNV program. The program, which provided humanitarian parole to people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, was implemented in 2023 during the Biden administration and terminated earlier this year by President Donald Trump.
The DHS notices instruct recipients to "self-deport immediately," referencing a new policy that encourages voluntary departure. Immigrants who comply using the DHS’s Home Mobile App will be eligible to receive logistical travel assistance as well as a $1,000 bonus upon arrival in their country of origin.
This large-scale enforcement move comes two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that DHS has the authority to require CHNV participants to exit the country, even while a legal challenge to the termination of the program is still pending.
Supreme Court Clears Way for Broader Deportations
The announcement follows a broader shift in immigration policy under the Trump administration. Just a month prior, the Supreme Court allowed the government to end protections for an additional 350,000 immigrants—mainly from Venezuela—who were allowed to stay in the U.S. under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.
The CHNV program had granted two-year stays to individuals fleeing violent conditions, political instability, or economic collapse in their home countries. Many of the individuals now facing deportation had already integrated into American communities, securing jobs and housing while awaiting longer-term immigration solutions.
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized the previous administration, saying the Biden-era program was a deception. “The American people were lied to,” she said, referencing what she described as lax enforcement and inconsistent border control during the CHNV period.
Trump Voices Concern Over Labor Shortages Caused by Deportations
Despite the strong enforcement measures, President Trump appeared to express concern Thursday about how his administration's immigration policies are affecting key sectors of the U.S. economy, particularly agriculture, hospitality, and leisure.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump acknowledged complaints from farmers and hotel owners, noting that “very good, long term workers” were being deported under his immigration policy. “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long term workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” he wrote.
Trump further claimed that individuals with criminal backgrounds—allegedly allowed in under the Biden administration—are now applying for jobs previously held by undocumented workers with years of experience. “We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA,” he stated.
Later in remarks to reporters, Trump reiterated the challenge facing employers in rural and service-oriented sectors. Referring to undocumented workers, he said, “They’ve worked for them for 20 years, they’re not citizens but they’ve turned out to be great.” He questioned the logic of deporting such individuals, adding, “We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back.”
Trump suggested that new guidance or an executive order would be released soon to address the situation, specifically mentioning farms and hotels as industries that might require exemptions or modified enforcement. The White House declined to provide immediate details about the nature or timing of such an order.