WASHINGTON, March 22: The United States announced on Friday that it is ending the legal status of approximately 532,000 immigrants, giving them 30 days to leave the country after the Department of Homeland Security published the order in the Federal Register on Tuesday. This move aligns with former President Donald Trump’s pledge to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, primarily targeting immigrants from Latin American countries.

The decision affects Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who entered the U.S. under the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program. This initiative, launched by President Joe Biden in October 2022 and expanded in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month to enter the country for two years. While Biden promoted the program as a "safe and humane" solution to ease pressure on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Department of Homeland Security emphasized that the program was always intended to be temporary.

Immigrants who fail to secure another legal immigration status must leave the U.S. by April 24. Welcome.US, an organization supporting refugees, urged those affected to seek legal assistance immediately.

Nicolette Glazer, a California-based immigration lawyer, warned that the order would impact most of the immigrants under the CHNV program. "Only 75,000 asylum applications were filed, leaving the majority without legal status, work permits, and vulnerable to deportation," she stated on X, predicting significant upheaval.

In a related action, Trump recently invoked wartime legislation to deport over 200 suspected members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, which has agreed to detain both migrants and U.S. citizens for a reduced fee. More than seven million Venezuelans have fled their country over the past decade as its economy deteriorates under President Nicolas Maduro, who remains a target of U.S. sanctions.