The Supreme Court has issued a significant ruling in favor of the Trump administration, enabling the termination of a migrant program entrenched during Biden’s term. Known as CHNV, this program has been criticized for masking the extensive border crisis. With this ruling, the prospect has been cleared for the revocation of legal status of multiple foreign nationals who entered the country under the program, setting the stage potentially for their expulsion from the United States.
Critics from the Republican party and advocates for stringent immigration policy have voiced the opinion that CHNV was a tactic to orchestrate entry for non-citizens who might have otherwise attempted to cross the U.S. border unlawfully. Dale Wilcox, the executive director of a D.C. based organization called the Immigration Reform Law Institute, qui advocates for stricter immigration rules, saw the Supreme Court’s ruling as an essential victory for maintaining law and order, whilst putting American interests paramount.
According to Wilcox, the CHNV program did not comply with the law, but it was adopted by the Biden administration in order to introduce over half a million foreign nationals into the nation who should not have been allowed in. Wilcox acknowledges the determination of the Trump administration to end this program.
CHNV, an acronym for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals admitted through the program, managed to bring in more than 530,000 non-Americans under the Biden administration. This is according to official reports from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Initially intended for Venezuelans in October of 2022, the CHNV program extended its purview to include Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Cubans by January 2023.
This large-scale parole scheme granted a two-year stay in the U.S. to these foreign nationals, coupled with work permits. Their authorization was contingent upon stringent conditions: they must not have entered the country illegally prior, and needed to pass other pre-set examination measures.
According to CBP data, years 2023 and 2024, respectively, saw the highest and second highest border encounters after the CHNV became operational. Observers believe this border crisis came into being post the roll-back of border security measures established during Trump’s administration by President Biden.
In his initial year of the presidency, President Biden issued several executive orders relating to immigration, with many specifically targeting to repeal or amend President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Major actions taken during the Biden administration included halting the construction of the border wall, terminating the Remain in Mexico policy, and ending the health order that swiftly repulsed migrants.
As the immigration crisis deepened, Republican leaders accused Biden of using the CHNV program as a smokescreen to conceal the turmoil unfolding at the border. It was observed that a large number of migrants entering through the CHNV program were already residing in prosperous and stable countries, leading critics to question their need for admission in the U.S.
A media spokesperson pointed out that CHNV was formed by the Biden administration as an illicit parole initiative intending to deflect from the magnitude of the border difficulties they caused. They remarked that according to law, immigration parole should potentially admit otherwise inadmissible aliens into the country on a temporary basis due to overriding national or humanitarian interests. The Biden administration, however, utilized it to sanction not just the entry of illegal aliens into the country, but also to issue them work permits.
As the media director pointed out, airlifting nearly 530,000 foreigners into the country was not as noticeable as them flocking across the southern border. An internal document from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) exposed evidence of deceit within the CHNV program, leading to a temporary pause.
The internal study marked several problematic aspects within the CHNV program causing the administration to momentarily pause the initiative. Despite the red flags, the program was eventually resumed with an assurance that the parolees’ status would not be extended.
Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, announced a premature termination of the program, asserting that it did not align with public interest and conflicted with the administration’s foreign policy objectives. A federal judge, however, temporarily obstructed this directive.
The Supreme Court ruling on Friday saw dissent only from Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor. Advocates for stringent immigration rules are now urging Congress to enact reforms to preclude any misuse of migrant parole programs by future administrations. With the Supreme Court paving the way for CHNV parolees’ repatriation, it is crucial for Congress to amend the parole statute to prevent future unlawful exploits of its authority.