U.S. will not renew legal status for Venezuelan migrants who arrived under Biden program

According to U.S. officials and internal papers obtained by CBS News, the Biden administration will not be extending the legal status of tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants who were permitted to travel to the United States under a sponsorship program intended to prevent illegal border crossings. The program was first introduced by the administration in October 2022 as a means of discouraging Venezuelans from crossing the border into the United States by providing them with a legitimate means of entry, provided that American citizens consented to sponsor them. It was subsequently expanded in January 2023 to cover migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua, whose residents were also crossing the U.S. southern border in unprecedented numbers at the time. Based on official figures, around 117,000 Venezuelans have entered the United States under the CHNV program. The first batch of Venezuelans who entered through the program two years ago are likely to lose their parole status later this month. However, according to two U.S. officials, the Department of Homeland Security has chosen not to provide Venezuelans with parole extensions. DHS will provide them with notices to apply for a different immigration benefit or depart the country, officials stated.