Trump Administration Halts 'Humanitarian Parole' Program
Entry of Ukrainian War Refugees Also Blocked
Criticism Mounts Over Inhumane Immigration Policy
On the 20th (local time), the Donald Trump administration, which locked down the borders immediately after taking office, has also blocked the entry of refugees from countries at war or with unstable domestic situations, such as Ukraine.
The American daily newspaper The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 24th (local time) that the Trump administration has suspended various programs that had helped immigrants settle in the United States. Among the suspended programs was the 'Humanitarian Parole' measure introduced during former President Joe Biden's administration.
The Biden administration introduced a program in 2022 to grant humanitarian parole to immigrants from certain countries crossing the border to escape political turmoil or economic poverty. Additionally, to accommodate refugees from the Ukraine war, the 'Uniting for Ukraine' program was also introduced in 2022.
As a result, the entry of Ukrainians fleeing the war to the United States has also been blocked. According to U.S. federal government data, as of September 2023, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have entered the United States under this program.
The NYT pointed out that this decision is an inhumane measure that blocks the entry of people escaping from the most unstable and desperate regions in the world.
The head of the Americas and Europe division of Refugees International, a non-governmental organization dealing with refugee issues, also criticized it as "evidence that the Trump administration is hostile to all humanitarian immigration."
The NYT cited statements from government officials indicating that President Trump had viewed such humanitarian programs as illegitimate from the beginning.
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