President Biden has used his executive authority to significantly expand the use of humanitarian parole programs for people escaping war and political turmoil around the world. These programs offer immigrants the opportunity to fly to the United States and quickly secure work authorization, provided they have a private sponsor to take responsibility for them. As of mid-April, some 300,000 Ukrainians had arrived in the United States under various programs, and by the end of 2023, about 360,000 Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians are expected to gain admission through a similar private sponsorship initiative. The Biden administration has also greatly expanded the number of people who are in the United States with what is known as temporary protected status, a program former President Donald J. Trump had sought to terminate. About 670,000 people from 16 countries have had their protections extended or become newly eligible since Mr. Biden took office. These temporary humanitarian programs could become the largest expansion of legal immigration in decades.
A Nationwide Immigration Practice