US suspends programs allowing temporary immigrant settlement

The US Department of Homeland Security has temporarily halted several programs that allowed immigrants to settle in the United States on a temporary basis, according to a report by The New York Times on Friday.

The suspension of these programs was ordered by officials at the Department of Homeland Security, effectively pausing immigration pathways for temporary settlement, the Times reported.

Read more: Trump signs order to end citizenship for babies born to immigrants

Trump's executive orders

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders aimed at curbing illegal immigration and positioning the US to deport millions of immigrants without legal status.

The Trump administration is intensifying immigration enforcement efforts, which may include targeting migrants who entered under programs established during the Biden administration. Additionally, the administration is seeking to expand the use of a little-known immigration statute to empower state and local law enforcement to arrest and detain immigrants living in the US illegally.

One of the suspended programs allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to schedule appointments for asylum requests at official border crossings. Another program permitted nationals from countries like Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the US by air if they had US sponsors and had passed background checks.

Asylum ban and other measures

Trump has imposed a broad ban on asylum applications and has moved forward with actions to limit citizenship for children born on US soil.

A US official confirmed that 1,000 additional active-duty troops would be deployed to the US-Mexico border on Trump’s orders, according to The New York Times. 

The administration has also reversed guidance from former President Joe Biden that had restricted immigration arrests near schools, churches, and other sensitive locations.

According to The New York Times, the new directive orders an immediate halt to "final decisions" on certain visa applications while the Trump administration reviews whether to end these temporary immigrant settlement programs permanently.

These programs previously provided entry opportunities for many immigrants, including those from conflict-ridden Ukraine and countries grappling with political instability or severe poverty.