The Trump administration’s immigration agenda has allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain “legal immigrants, including refugees, parolees, and spouses of US citizens”, by suspending green card approvals, a recently published analysis by the Cato Institute reveals.
According to the libertarian think tank, the halt in legal permanent residence processing by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has caused some migrants to lose their legal status while preventing them from receiving protection from possible arrests, detention, and deportation.
The Cato Institute argues that “this is a deliberate effort to boost ICE arrests by thwarting people’s efforts to stay on the right side of the law.”
In late February 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended all immigration requests for green cards, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), work permits, and other benefits for applicants who entered the U.S. under the parole processes of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
In tandem, the USCIS canceled their “underlying parole status,” leaving them vulnerable to ICE arrests.
USCIS Cuts Affect Legal Cuban Migrants
The Cato Institute showed that Cubans were the most negatively impacted due to the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, which practically qualified all applicants for permanent residence.
According to The Miami Herald, USCIS approved more than 10,000 Cubans for legal permanent residence in October 2024, mere months before President Trump assumed office. Following the start of President Trump’s second term, the number of approvals declined, falling to dozens in 2025.
“Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of Cubans went up from less than 200 per month in late 2024 to more than 1,000 per month by late 2025,” The Miami Herald reported.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar's Advocacy On The Matter
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar has expressed concern over the matter, previously issuing a letter to newly appointed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, urging the agency to resume processing for immigration benefit applications.
Rep. Salazar represents Florida’s 27th Congressional District, which is “home to one of the largest Cuban and Venezuelan communities in the country.”
