MCALLEN, Texas — According to officials on Monday, migrants who had been granted temporary residence in the U.S. through the Biden administration’s CBP One app are now required to leave the country “immediately.” The exact number of individuals affected remains unclear.
Since January 2023, over 900,000 individuals have been admitted into the U.S. using the CBP One app. These individuals were generally permitted to stay in the country for two years and were authorized to work under a presidential program known as parole.
The Department of Homeland Security’s media affairs unit stated that “Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect national security.”
Authorities have confirmed that termination notices were dispatched to CBP One beneficiaries but have not disclosed the specific number. They were encouraged to voluntarily leave the country using the CBP Home app, formerly known as CBP One.
In an email reviewed by The Associated Press and received on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security told a Honduran family that entered the U.S. at the end of last year: “It’s time for you to abandon the United States.”
Others shared the same email on social media platforms.
Al Otro Lado, a nonprofit organization offering legal assistance to migrants, reported that some recipients of the revocation letters are from Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico.
The CBP One app was a key element of the Biden administration’s strategy to establish and broaden legal avenues for entering the U.S., with the goal of reducing illegal border crossings. By the end of December, 936,500 individuals had been permitted to enter through CBP One appointments at border crossings with Mexico. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump terminated CBP One for new entrants, leaving thousands stranded in Mexico with appointments scheduled for early February.
Trump has rescinded temporary status for many who benefited from Biden’s policies. Homeland Security stated on Monday that Biden’s use of parole authority, exceeding that of any president since its creation in 1952, “further fueled the worst border crisis in U.S. history.”
Last month, Homeland Security announced the revocation of another form of parole for 532,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who had flown to the country at their own expense with a financial sponsor. This revocation is set to take effect on April 24.
The Trump administration has also announced the end of Temporary Protected Status for 600,000 Venezuelans and approximately 500,000 Haitians, although a federal judge has temporarily halted this action, including for about 350,000 Venezuelans who were scheduled to lose TPS on Monday. TPS is granted in 18-month increments to individuals already in the U.S. whose countries are considered unsafe for return due to natural disasters or civil unrest.