USCIS Pauses Adjudication on all Immigration Applications for Certain Parolees
CBS News has reported the Trump Administration and USCIS issued an internal memo enacting a pause on all immigration applications for those who entered the U.S. under certain Biden-era programs due for “fraud and safety concerns.” This includes Uniting for Ukraine (U4), CNHV (a program that allowed Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans sponsored by American citizens to enter the U.S), and Family Reunification parole programs that permitted some Colombians, Ecuadorians, Central Americans, Haitians and Cubans with American relatives to come to the U.S. while waiting for a family-based green card to become available.
This memo, issued on February 14, 2025, cites concerns about fraud, national security, and public safety as the justification for the pause. The pause impacts all immigration applications, petitions, and requests for ancillary benefits. For example, the pause would apply to applications such as asylum, TPS, adjustment or naturalization, petitions such as I-130, and benefits requests such as I-765. While cases may continue to be worked on by officers, the pause limits their abilities to adjudicate cases. The pause is in place “indefinitely while government officials work to identify potential cases of fraud and enhance vetting procedures to mitigate concerns related to national security and public safety,” according to the directive.
This freeze affects all benefits, including the ability to move into another legal status. The USCIS memo allegedly states that the pause could potentially be lifted, but only after the government completes a "comprehensive review and evaluation of the in-country population of aliens who are or were paroled into the United States under these categorical parole programs."
A copy of the USCIS internal memo has not been released yet.
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Associate Mary Connelly was a contributing author to this client alert.
