Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

Advisory^[1] on DHS Notice of Parole Termination
Rev. 04.15.2025

Basics:  Beginning on or around April 3, 2025, attorneys and community members began receiving email notices from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advising them that they or their client’s parole was terminated. The notices do not identify the name or basis of parole initially granted. The notices indicate that the parole status would terminate within seven (7) days from the date of the notice and direct the recipients to leave the U.S. using the CBP One App.

People who received these notices generally fall into three categories: 1) Persons who were granted parole and subsequently submit a separate application for legal status, which is currently pending (e.g., TPS, Asylum, SIJ, U visa, family visa). Most individuals in this group should ignore the notice and move forward with their pending applications. One exception would be for persons who are applying for a family visa but do not have a current priority date. 2) Persons who have been placed into removal proceedings. Again, individuals in this group should ignore the notice and plan to continue attending removal proceedings (i.e., attend immigration court hearings). In fact, the regulations state that parole is already terminated when a notice to appear in removal proceedings is filed. Thus, this new notice of parole termination is generally irrelevant. 3) Persons who do not have any pending application/petition for relief and are not in deportation proceedings should consult with an immigration attorney or legal representative to determine if there are any other paths available to apply for legal status and employment authorization if parole is now terminated.

I received a parole termination notice. What should I do if I have a pending immigration application/petition for protection, or if I am currently in removal proceedings? Individuals who have a pending application/petition either before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (immigration court) or USCIS should continue pursuing those applications. Termination of parole has no bearing on most ongoing cases. However, it is important to note that if an individual obtained employment authorization based on the parole application, the authorization will also be terminated when parole ends. As a reminder, people who do not have a pending application/petition should consult an immigration legal representative to determine their eligibility to submit an application/petition for relief as soon as possible.

What is Parole? Parole is a temporary permission for certain noncitizens who may not have another legal basis to be admitted into the United States to enter and remain temporarily. To obtain parole, an individual must establish that there is either an urgent humanitarian reason (such as a medical emergency) or that there are significant public benefit reasons for the person’s entry. The individual must also establish that their case merits a favorable exercise of discretion. Examples of urgent humanitarian reasons may include: receiving critical medical treatment in the United States; becoming an organ donor to an individual in the United States; visiting or caring for a sick relative in the United States; attending a funeral or settling the affairs of a deceased relative in the United States; or, coming to the United States for protection from targeted or individualized harm. Significant public interest reasons generally involve appearance or participation in either a civil or a criminal legal proceeding.  Oftentimes, the government has established programs to provide parole to groups of individuals from selected countries.

What are some of the parole programs? This is not an exhaustive list; however, the programs below are the ones most commonly seen

General Humanitarian Parole: 
Still exists; however, the administration will use its discretion on a case-by-case basis.

Country-Specific Parole:
CHNV (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela) Parole. This country-specific parole program was created in January 2023. The program allowed individuals from these countries to enter the United States for a period of two years if they had a sponsor in the United States, and if they passed a security background check. People who entered the United States with parole were employment-eligible. The program allowed for 30,000 individuals to enter monthly. Over 530,000 people entered the United States under this program. On March 25, 2025, the current administration terminated the CHNV parole program and notified all individuals who entered under this program that their parole would end on April 24, 2025. However, this termination notice, as well as termination notices for other country-specific parole programs, is under litigation. On April 14, 2025, the First Circuit temporarily stayed the termination order. The Order specifically notes that all notices sent to individuals regarding revocation of their parole are also stayed pending further decision from the Court.    

United for Ukraine. The United for Ukraine (U4U) parole was created in April 2022. The program allowed for Ukrainians who were displaced by the Russian invasion to enter the United States through humanitarian parole. U4U was valid for a period of two years and could be renewed. Currently, there are approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who have entered the United States through this program. On January 28, 2025, the current administration placed an indefinite pause on the program, meaning no new applications will be processed. However, individuals in the United States are still able to renew their parole status. On or around April 4, 2025, the administration sent a message stating: “It is time for you to leave the United States,” giving individuals seven (7) days to leave the country. However, the administration later confirmed that this message was sent in error. Instead, Ukrainian community members who are in parole status currently retain their status until the expiration of their parole, at least pending further action by the administration.

Operations Allies Welcome. This is another parole program created in August 2021 to support vulnerable Afghans, especially those who assisted the United States during the war, to resettle in the United States. The program was later renamed Enduring Welcome. The current administration has not made any announcement regarding the termination of this program. However, the current administration has announced that Temporary Protected Status, benefiting more than 14,600 Afghan nationals, will not be renewed.

Other Types of Parole: 

CBP-One. The CPB One Program was a phone app launched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in 2020 to allow for a more orderly and safe border crossing for individuals crossing the southern border to apply for asylum in the United States. Individuals pre-scheduled their appointments for asylum screening. While this program was fraught with various issues, including technical glitches and accessibility for individuals who were not technologically savvy, it did provide individuals who entered through the program with parole and accompanying employment authorization. More than 900,000 individuals entered through this program. This program was terminated on April 7, 2025. DHS is sending messages to community members to leave the United States immediately. Employment authorization was also terminated. This program (the phone app itself) has now morphed into CBP Home, a self-deportation tool.

Military Parole (Parole in Place). This program was established in 2010 by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)  to provide certain family members of military personnel and veterans the opportunity to apply for adjustment of status in the United States. This program was specifically designed for family members who entered the United States without permission and would otherwise trigger a ground of inadmissibility. This program has not been terminated. However, it does not appear that USCIS is adjudicating applications. Also, the applications that are being adjudicated have a much higher rate of denial.  

Advance Parole. Provided to certain individuals who reside in the United States who wish to travel abroad and return to the United States. Generally, only individuals who already have pending applications for certain immigration benefits (e.g., pending Form I-485, Application for Adjustment of Status) may apply for advance parole.  Similarly, travel authorization is allowed for certain people in Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This type of parole remains available. However, a grant of advance parole from USCIS does not guarantee re-entry to the United States.  Individuals are still subject to CPB inspection and discretion at the port of entry. Under the current administration, NWIRP has advised those with advance parole of the heightened risk of being denied reentry upon return to the U.S.  

Where can I find more information on updates specific to parole? Please check NWIRP’s website or social media pages for updates on possible termination. Besides checking NWIRP’s website, also check other partner organizations’ websites for updates: National Immigration Law Center, American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Immigration Council, and Immigrant Legal Resource Center, which frequently update their resources page to provide the most updated information to the community.  

Additional Resources:
Non-profit or Low-Cost Immigration Attorneys:
www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory/ 

Private Immigration Attorneys:
www.ailalawyer.com 

Find Legal Help – Department of Justice:
www.justice.gov/eoir/find-legal-representation 

NWIRP offices:  Seattle– 206-587-4009

Granger– 509-854-2100
Tacoma– 253-235-9279

Wenatchee– 509-570-0054

For individuals detained at Tacoma Detention Center – 253-383-0519

www.nwirp.org

Please note: This advisory will be updated as new information becomes available. Please visit nwirp.org/resources/kyr/ for the latest version of this advisory and other resources.