News & Resources
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2025
PRESS CONTACT
Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
IRAP ON NEW PAROLE ATTACKS: “AN ATTEMPT TO RUN ROUGHSHOD OVER THE LAW IN ORDER TO REMAKE THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS”
IRAP Issues New Explainer of Trump Policies Affecting Parole Programs
(New York, NY) – Last night, reporting by the New York Times revealed new Trump administration actions seeking to terminate parole programs and people’s parole status and to subject parolees to a fast-track deportation process. This includes Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived legally in the United States as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to expand legal pathways for family reunification and humanitarian reasons, as well as people who entered the country lawfully via appointments obtained through the CBP One app in order to seek humanitarian protection.
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is deeply concerned about the individual lives, families, and communities that will be torn apart if the government advances these measures. It is also concerned these measures could be applied broadly to other populations whom the United States authorized to come legally to the United States, including Afghans who escaped the Taliban, Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion, and children who joined their parents in the United States via the Central American Minors (CAM) parole program.
Read IRAP’s new explainer on the details and implications of the Trump administration’s attack on parole programs HERE.
The following is a statement from Hannah Flamm, IRAP’s Acting Director of Policy:
“The Trump administration’s actions on parole this week are an abject example of applying a thin veneer of legality to advance its deeply bigoted agenda to scapegoat and expel as many immigrant members of our society as it can. While the legal authorities invoked in these actions will inevitably be challenged, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture; these actions are part of a larger attempt to run roughshod over the law in order to remake the United States without immigrants.
If this latest enforcement memorandum is carried out, it will separate families in every state across the country with no regard for due process. Immigrants who may be targeted by this action are valued community members who waited months or years to be authorized to enter the country in recognition of their urgent humanitarian needs or significant public benefit to the United States, only to now have the rug pulled out from under them. The Trump administration’s agenda represents an egregious betrayal of communities who trusted the government to protect them and of the welcoming spirit America has long espoused.”
Email media@refugeerights.org to discuss the details, implications, and unanswered questions about the refugee executive order and other Trump executive orders and plans
Additional Resources
- Read the new IRAP new explainer on the details and implications of the new Trump administration policies affecting parole: HERE
- Read IRAP’s previous statement on Trump immigration executive orders: HERE
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
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