ALERT: Litigation-Related Update on the Termination of Parole under the Family Reunification Parole (FRP) Programs
On Jan. 24, 2026, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a Preliminary Injunction Order in Svitlana Doe v. Noem, No. 25-cv-10495 (D. Mass.), staying parts of the Dec. 15, 2025 Federal Register notice titled “Termination of Family Reunification Parole programs for Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, and Salvadorans,” 90 Fed. Reg. 58032 (Dec. 15, 2025), to the extent that it terminates previously granted individual parole and employment authorization issued to aliens paroled into the United States pursuant to the FRP programs prior to the aliens’ originally stated parole end dates.
While DHS disagrees with the decision, we are complying with the order, pending further action in the subject litigation. Pursuant to the order, the parole termination notices that were sent to aliens in accordance with the Federal Register notice are stayed and therefore are not currently in effect. Affected aliens may disregard the information in those notices while the injunction is in effect.
Further updates will be posted on this website.
The Department of Homeland Security is terminating all categorical family reunification parole (FRP) programs for aliens from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras, and their immediate family members.
This administration is ending the abuse of humanitarian parole which allowed poorly vetted aliens to circumvent the traditional parole process. Parole was never intended to be used in this way, and DHS is returning parole to a case-by-case basis as intended by Congress. Ending the FRP programs is a necessary return to common-sense policies and a return to America First.
The desire to reunite families does not overcome the government’s responsibility to prevent fraud and abuse and to uphold national security and public safety. The FRP programs had security gaps caused by insufficient vetting that malicious and fraudulent actors could exploit to enter the United States, which posed an unacceptable level of risk to the United States. DHS is prioritizing the safety, security, and financial and economic well-being of Americans.
A Federal Register notice explains how the termination of the FRP programs will be administered. If an alien was paroled in the United States under the FRP programs and their parole has not yet expired on Jan. 14, 2026, it will terminate on that date unless the alien has a pending Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, that is postmarked or electronically filed on or before Dec. 15, 2025, and is still pending on Jan. 14, 2026. If the alien has a pending Form I-485, their parole will remain valid until either their period of parole expires or we make a final decision on their pending Form I-485, whichever is sooner. If we deny their Form I-485, their period of parole will be terminated, and they should depart the United States immediately.
When we terminate an alien’s period of parole under the FRP programs, we also will revoke their employment authorization based on that parole. We will notify each alien individually that DHS is terminating their parole period and revoking their employment authorization.
Aliens who do not have a lawful basis to stay in the United States after termination of the FRP programs must depart the United States before their parole termination date. These aliens should use the CBP Home app to report their intent to depart the United States. Incentives such as an exit bonus, financial and travel document assistance, and forgiveness of civil fines are available to qualifying aliens. See DHS’s CBP Home webpage for more information.
Official news published at https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/dhs-ends-the-abuse-of-the-humanitarian-parole-process-and-terminates-family-reunification-parole
