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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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The Trump administration is moving to roll back key immigration protections, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announcing Friday the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopia and the end of multiple family reunification parole programs affecting migrants from several Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The plans came as Federal Register filings, with the latter affecting immigrants from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and El Salvador.
"DHS acknowledges that aliens paroled into the United States under the FRP programs may have been able to reunite with family members in the United States. However, upon further review of the scope and impact of the FRP programs in their totality, and in line with Executive Orders issued by President Trump, DHS has determined that national security and fraud concerns, and the current Administration’s priorities outweigh those interests and weigh in favor of terminating the programs," the notice on the Family Reunification Program (FRP) termination read.
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Why It Matters
The moves mark further steps in undoing protections granted to immigrants on a country-by-country basis. DHS has already sought to terminate TPS for multiple countries this year—not without legal challenge. The reunification program is another example of a legal pathway that was expanded under former President Joe Biden, seeking to limit illegal entries, but the Trump administration has argued that many of these were exploited.
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Ending the Family Reunification Program: What We Know
The FRP allows immigrants seeking legal status in the U.S. to join their relatives already in the country who have sponsored their I-130 application to move to the U.S. with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It is a parole program, meaning individuals can temporarily remain in the U.S. until their case is decided.
A key reason is to keep families together, rather than forcing individuals to remain in their home countries while family members are in the U.S. as citizens or permanent residents.
DHS said in its filing Friday that it was ending the FRP for the seven countries listed, which were part of an expansion of the program during the Biden administration in 2023, as well as legacy FRPs for Cuba from 2007 and Haiti from 2014.
While USCIS was already vetting beneficiaries of the FRP through Form I-130 and was then further assessed on a case-by-case basis for parole, DHS said the program effectively bypassed immigration laws and "created security gaps" not seen in other pathways available to family members.
The Trump administration said that vetting was being carried out at Ports of Entry, and therefore was not as stringent as it could be. That, in turn, opened the program to the risk of fraud and abuse, DHS said, because consulates in home countries were being bypassed.
Termination of TPS for Ethiopia: What We Know
Also on Friday, DHS announced its intention to end TPS for another country: Ethiopia. The notice was published on the day TPS was set to expire for Ethiopians, December 12, rather than the usual 60 days in advance**.**
As with other notices aimed at ending protections from deportation for other countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, and South Sudan, DHS said that conditions had improved enough for citizens to return home from the U.S.
Under Biden, TPS was granted to Ethiopia after armed conflict within the country escalated and continued for at least two years. Those tensions have eased, DHS said, according to assessments made by the U.S. Department of State.
"While some residual challenges in regions affected by the conflicts remain, there are signs of improvements in the country," the Federal Register notice read.
What People Are Saying
Anna Gallagher, Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) executive director, in a statement to Newsweek: “At a time when families are meant to be drawing closer together, the decision to end family reunification parole programs creates fear, confusion, and real hardship. These lawful, invitation-only pathways were expressly contemplated by Congress and relied upon in good faith by thousands of families who followed every rule so they could live and work lawfully together while awaiting visa availability.
"Reversing course with little notice pushes families back into years-long separation and treats family unity as collateral damage of shifting enforcement priorities—contrary to Catholic social teaching, which calls us to uphold human dignity, protect the family, and act fairly toward those who relied on lawful processes in good faith.”
A USCIS spokesperson, in a press release on Ethiopia's TPS status, said Friday: “Temporary Protected Status designations are time-limited and were never meant to be a ticket to permanent residency. Conditions in Ethiopia no longer pose a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals. Since the situation no longer meets the statutory requirements for a TPS designation, Secretary Noem is terminating this designation to restore integrity in our immigration system.”
DHS, in its notice terminating the FRP: "Although DHS, under the previous administration, argued that aliens who had been paroled into the U.S. may have otherwise sought to enter unlawfully along the southwest border, there is little to no evidence to support this argument. DHS has no way of determining whether aliens paroled into the U.S. under the respective FRP programs might have otherwise attempted to enter unlawfully, as they were never asked this question at any point, either before or after the programs were implemented."
What Happens Next
Ethiopian TPS holders now have 60 days to leave the U.S., USCIS said Friday, but legal challenges may follow.
As for the FRP termination, DHS said it wanted to end the programs immediately to avoid further abuses and risk factors. The I-130 form can no longer be used to apply for parole, the department said.
Update 12/12/25, 12:31 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 12/12/25, 3:27 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Gallagher.
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