The Trump administration is considering eliminating them and believes that economic migrants are “abusing” this means of obtaining employment.
14ymedio, Madrid, June 5, 2025 — Friday is the last working day for at least 20 employees of a Walmart located in Miami, who were left hanging since the US Supreme Court, last Friday, endorsed the decision of the Trump Administration to suspend humanitarian parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. The beneficiaries lost their right to work, among other things, so they went out into the streets to demonstrate. And this is only in one establishment.
The hundreds of thousands of people who could lose their jobs with the cancelation of parole could be joined by asylum seekers – almost 400,000 Cubans – if a measure proposed by the government is implemented. As CBS News reported on Wednesday, two State Department officials said the decision is on the table, and it implies the end of a policy held for decades to allow people to support themselves in the country by their own means and contribute to the economy while they wait for the resolution of their cases.
The measure comes from the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and represents an added difficulty for migrants who have asked for refuge, especially when, as is known, cases accumulate in the courts causing delays close to two years, even though the legal deadline is 180 days. Trump’s advisers argue that many applicants are actually economic migrants trying to “take advantage of the situation.”
As CBS News recalls, the law in force since 1990 allows asylum seekers who have been in the country for 150 days to apply for a work permit. Thereafter, officials have 30 days to decide, which in theory covers the 180-day period for the court to decide whether to grant asylum.
The new law also requires asylum seekers to wait one year after they submit their application (instead of six months) to meet the requirements for a work permit.
“What I can say is that we are working on the proposal with the determination to put it into effect before the end of this year,” a government official told independent Cuban media CaféFuerte.
According to CBS News data, with official sources, more than 77% of asylum applications take over 180 days, and almost 40% are pending two years later. But even for the lucky ones who receive a response within the legal deadline, the possibility of having a job is far from being possible, since this one-year period would be required. CBS News has also requested official statements.
“Over the past four years, the Biden Administration has undermined the integrity of the US asylum system. The Department is exploring all possible options to protect our national security and enhance program integrity,” the official stated, stressing the government’s right to “mitigate all forms of fraud and abuse.”
However, organizations defending the rights of migrants and refugees have expressed their concern that these people would be deprived of their right to economic sustenance, forcing them to work illegally, which, in turn, may harm their legal status. At the bureaucratic level, asylum seekers are no longer taxpayers, except for indirect taxes.
“Asylum seekers play a critical role in a wide range of jobs, from doctors to hospital cleaners,” Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, told CBSNews.
In the last decade, applications for asylum in the US have multiplied, now reaching 1.5 million in the hands of the USCIS and 2 million in immigration courts, according to official data. In 2024, only 35% of the reviewed petitions received an affirmative response, with a very uneven distribution. New Mexico and Texas have a large majority of refusals, with rates of 86% and 83%, while Nevada (23%) and Missouri (19%) have lower refusals.
Trump already tried to implement a policy similar to the one now proposed in his first term in 2020, but the arrival of the pandemic allowed him to impose a much stricter border closure than he had ever expected.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.