According to a National Public Radio report, the Trump administration is threatening to end the “parole in place” program. This form of discretionary relief provides protection against deportation for some undocumented family members of U.S. military members on active duty. As a result, attorneys for military members in this situation are wasting no time in submitting applications for this form of discretionary relief from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
This program protects only selected family members of active-duty military members. Relief is only available for family members who have entered the U.S. without legal authority and who have no means of adjusting their immigration status. Some family members would be ineligible for the relief, such as those who entered the U.S. legally but overstayed their visas.
The primary purpose of parole in place is to allow U.S. military members on active duty to focus on their missions rather than on the risk of deportation of their family members. Parole in place allows eligible family members to receive parole and apply for a green card. It is unclear how many individuals have taken advantage of this form of relief from deportation.
If the Trump administration moves forward with ending parole in place, it would be in line with its actions earlier this year. For instance, the federal government closed all its international military field offices. The federal government now also requires that military recruits serve at least 180 days of active duty before becoming eligible for naturalization. The only exception to this rule change is for military members who are in combat zones.
Last year, the Trump administration also began discharging immigrant military members who had enlisted in a George W. Bush-era program designed to recruit immigrants with special skills useful to the military. Enrollment in the program brought the promise of an expedited path to citizenship for recruits.
The Peek Law Group immigration lawyers are here to represent your interests and advise you of the best course of action in your immigration case. Set up an appointment to talk to us today and discover how we can assist you with your immigration issue, whether you have an individual concern or a business-related problem.