Migrants arriving earlier this month at the Roosevelt Hotel in...

Migrants arriving earlier this month at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.

WASHINGTON — Fear has risen among the Haitian community on Long Island after a Department of Homeland Security memo gave immigration enforcement agents the power to quickly deport migrants who have been allowed into the country temporarily.

The memo issued late Thursday outlines ways agents can expel migrants who were let into the country under two programs instituted by President Joe Biden, including one that allowed thousands of Haitians to flee their country’s chaos and move temporarily to New York, Florida and other states.

"We are already seeing the fear," Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont) told Newsday, adding that Haitians, community leaders and school officials have come to her office in the last week to ask for advice about President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration.

Since his inauguration Monday, Trump has issued a series of executive orders aimed at sending troops to the seal the border, sending out agents to arrest criminal noncitizens and spending billions of dollars on creating the infrastructure to remove millions of people who are in the United States illegally.

Trump on Monday ordered DHS to shut down Biden’s expanded use of parole — a program that allows entry by those fleeing Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti — and his CBP One app to let migrants make appointments to enter the United States.

Combined, those two programs let in about 1.4 million migrants since the beginning of 2023. Parole is a legal status that allows migrants to legally stay in the country for up to two years. Last year, for example, Biden extended parole for Haitians until 2026.

The two programs have been under fire from Republicans in Congress from the start. Republicans’ key immigration legislation, called H.R. 2, includes provisions to tighten policies, including limiting the use of parole.

The memo Homeland Security Acting Director Benjamine Huffman issued Thursday gives guidance on how to "exercise enforcement discretion" and authorizes DHS to "pause, modify, or terminate any parole program, immediately" if inconsistent with his memos.

It directs ICE officials to decide if any noncitizen migrant they are aware of who is "amenable to expedited removal" should be quickly deported, a process that might require ending any removal proceeding or stripping any parole status from that person.

And it instructs ICE officials that for any noncitizen who has been granted permission to stay in the country through parole, such as those from Haiti, to conduct a review and "consider, in exercising your enforcement discretion" whether to place the person  in deportation proceedings.

The memo also allows ICE officials to target those who have been in the country under a temporary program but have remained more than two years for formal deportation proceedings. And it targets those on parole who have not filed for asylum within a year of arrival.

Karen Tumlin, director of the Justice Action Center, an immigrant advocacy group, said in a call with reporters that she thinks the memo is intended to apply to the parole program for Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti.

But she also thinks it will allow ICE officials to deport migrants from Afghanistan and Ukraine. "I don't think it's legally valid. Certainly, we won't hesitate to challenge that in court," Tumlin said.

Dan Stein, president of FAIR, a group that seeks stricter immigration policies, said the memo sets up a process for the crackdown on noncitizens in the United States.

"They're sort of setting that up in this memo, so once they finally get through the criminals and those who've been ordered removed and never left, then they can move to this population to try to remove as many of those people Biden providently admitted under parole, knowing full well that it was a sham and that they were never going to leave," he said.

But Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America's Voice, a communications campaign for immigration, said on a call with reporters Friday, "Costly, cruel and chaotic are the words that characterize the weight of extreme policies that the Trump administration has unleashed in its efforts to purge immigrants from our country."

Last month, Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) expressed concern in an interview with Newsday about Haitian migrants living in her district with temporary status. On Friday, she issued a statement saying she would take her concerns to the Trump administration.

"I’m deeply concerned by reports that Haitians who used a legal pathway to come here under special humanitarian status are facing removal," she said.

"I will continue working hard to urge the administration to exempt Haiti from this action and ensure that our neighbors who came here lawfully and would face violence and danger at home in Haiti can remain with their families," she said.

WASHINGTON — Fear has risen among the Haitian community on Long Island after a Department of Homeland Security memo gave immigration enforcement agents the power to quickly deport migrants who have been allowed into the country temporarily.

The memo issued late Thursday outlines ways agents can expel migrants who were let into the country under two programs instituted by President Joe Biden, including one that allowed thousands of Haitians to flee their country’s chaos and move temporarily to New York, Florida and other states.

"We are already seeing the fear," Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont) told Newsday, adding that Haitians, community leaders and school officials have come to her office in the last week to ask for advice about President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration.

Since his inauguration Monday, Trump has issued a series of executive orders aimed at sending troops to the seal the border, sending out agents to arrest criminal noncitizens and spending billions of dollars on creating the infrastructure to remove millions of people who are in the United States illegally.

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

  • Fear has risen among the Haitian community on Long Island after a Department of Homeland Security memo gave immigration enforcement agents the power to quickly deport migrants who have been allowed into the country temporarily.
  • The memo outlines ways agents can expel migrants who were let into the country under two programs instituted by President Joe Biden, including one that allowed thousands of Haitians to flee their country’s chaos and move temporarily to New York, Florida and other states.
  • Since his inauguration Monday, Trump has issued a series of executive orders aimed at sending troops to the seal the border, sending out agents to arrest criminal noncitizens and spending billions of dollars on creating the infrastructure to remove millions of people who are in the United States illegally.

Trump on Monday ordered DHS to shut down Biden’s expanded use of parole — a program that allows entry by those fleeing Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti — and his CBP One app to let migrants make appointments to enter the United States.

Combined, those two programs let in about 1.4 million migrants since the beginning of 2023. Parole is a legal status that allows migrants to legally stay in the country for up to two years. Last year, for example, Biden extended parole for Haitians until 2026.

The two programs have been under fire from Republicans in Congress from the start. Republicans’ key immigration legislation, called H.R. 2, includes provisions to tighten policies, including limiting the use of parole.

Homeland Security guidance

The memo Homeland Security Acting Director Benjamine Huffman issued Thursday gives guidance on how to "exercise enforcement discretion" and authorizes DHS to "pause, modify, or terminate any parole program, immediately" if inconsistent with his memos.

It directs ICE officials to decide if any noncitizen migrant they are aware of who is "amenable to expedited removal" should be quickly deported, a process that might require ending any removal proceeding or stripping any parole status from that person.

And it instructs ICE officials that for any noncitizen who has been granted permission to stay in the country through parole, such as those from Haiti, to conduct a review and "consider, in exercising your enforcement discretion" whether to place the person  in deportation proceedings.

The memo also allows ICE officials to target those who have been in the country under a temporary program but have remained more than two years for formal deportation proceedings. And it targets those on parole who have not filed for asylum within a year of arrival.

Karen Tumlin, director of the Justice Action Center, an immigrant advocacy group, said in a call with reporters that she thinks the memo is intended to apply to the parole program for Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti.

But she also thinks it will allow ICE officials to deport migrants from Afghanistan and Ukraine. "I don't think it's legally valid. Certainly, we won't hesitate to challenge that in court," Tumlin said.

Dan Stein, president of FAIR, a group that seeks stricter immigration policies, said the memo sets up a process for the crackdown on noncitizens in the United States.

"They're sort of setting that up in this memo, so once they finally get through the criminals and those who've been ordered removed and never left, then they can move to this population to try to remove as many of those people Biden providently admitted under parole, knowing full well that it was a sham and that they were never going to leave," he said.

'Costly, cruel and chaotic'

But Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America's Voice, a communications campaign for immigration, said on a call with reporters Friday, "Costly, cruel and chaotic are the words that characterize the weight of extreme policies that the Trump administration has unleashed in its efforts to purge immigrants from our country."

Last month, Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) expressed concern in an interview with Newsday about Haitian migrants living in her district with temporary status. On Friday, she issued a statement saying she would take her concerns to the Trump administration.

"I’m deeply concerned by reports that Haitians who used a legal pathway to come here under special humanitarian status are facing removal," she said.

"I will continue working hard to urge the administration to exempt Haiti from this action and ensure that our neighbors who came here lawfully and would face violence and danger at home in Haiti can remain with their families," she said.

Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Credit: Newsday

Snowy mix hits region ... What's the future of NUMC? ... LI Swifties ready for the big game ... Chow down in Charleston ... What's up on Long Island

Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Credit: Newsday

Snowy mix hits region ... What's the future of NUMC? ... LI Swifties ready for the big game ... Chow down in Charleston ... What's up on Long Island

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