WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a Federal Register Notice (FRN) today announcing its plans to terminate the Family Reunification Parole processes for people who have come to the U.S. from Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador via the Family Reunification Program, which allows certain family members of U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents to enter the United States while they await their green cards. According to the FRN, the move will revoke the lawful status for those who have come through the program since it began in July 2023. It is scheduled to be published on December 15, 2025, and would take effect on January 14, 2026.
Co-counsel in Svitlana Doe v. Noem, the class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of humanitarian parole beneficiaries and sponsors, will challenge this action in court.
This decision follows a growing pattern of the Trump Administration summarily revoking the lawfully-obtained status of people who have immigrated to the United States, including its March 2025 termination of the humanitarian parole process for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (“CHNV” parole), which effectively de-legalized hundreds of thousands of people living lawfully in the U.S., as well as multiple attempts to cancel Temporary Protective Status for multiple countries.
“This outrageous decision to pull the rug out from under the thousands of people who came to the U.S. lawfully to reunite with their families is shocking,” said Anwen Hughes, Senior Director of Legal Strategy, Refugee Programs at Human Rights First. “Yet again, this administration is taking extraordinary measures to de-legalize as many people as possible, even when they have done everything the U.S. government has asked of them. The government did this in March when they announced their intent to take away lawful status from hundreds of thousands of humanitarian parole beneficiaries; they are doing it now with more than ten thousand people who came lawfully to reunite with their families; they are taking their attacks on birthright citizenship to the Supreme Court; and they are escalating their threats to de-legalize untold numbers of others without notice.”
“Those who entered under the Family Reunification Program should contact their immigration attorney immediately to better understand their options, as those options may change on December 15,” added Esther Sung, Legal Director at Justice Action Center. “The legal team in Svitlana Doe v. Noem will also alert the court as soon as possible to ensure that our clients and class members are not unlawfully harmed by this move. Today’s news is devastating for families across the country, but we will continue to fight alongside all immigrants and their families who are unjustly targeted by this callous administration.”
An explanation of the Federal Register Notice and how it may affect those here under the Family Reunification Program is available here: https://justiceactioncenter.org/news/frn-decoder-frptermination/
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Justice Action Center (JAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting for greater justice for immigrant communities by combining litigation and storytelling. JAC is committed to bringing additional litigation resources to address unmet needs, empower clients, and change the corrosive narrative around immigrants in the U.S. Learn more at justiceactioncenter.org and follow us on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. For nearly 50 years, Human Rights First has worked to create a just world in which every person’s intrinsic human rights are respected and protected. Learn more at humanrightsfirst.org and follow us on Twitter/X, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.