The CHNV is a humanitarian parole program that allows certain individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to be granted permission to stay in the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons. The process of the program requires a United States-based sponsor to prove they have the financial means to support the individual.
Benefiting from the program, the sponsor would also explain why they needed merited parole. Once they pass background checks, they receive permission to travel to a U.S. airport, where they are individually considered for parole by Customs and Border Protection.
According to Globalrefuge.org, over 532,000 people were granted parole. Many of them live in this very town.
The Trump administration issued an “unpublished” Federal Return Notice, revoking the lawful status of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who benefited from this program. The register states, “Parolees without a lawful basis to remain in the United States following this termination of the CHNV parole programs must depart the United States before their parole termination date.”
The date is April 24.
“The Administration is breaking a commitment the federal government made to the hundreds of thousands of American sponsors and beneficiaries who did everything the government asked of them to participate,” Karen Tumlin, Founder and Director of Justice Action Center, said. “They reunited families, provided safety from violence and persecution, and strengthened communities.”
Revoking the CHNV and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is something that is inherently unfair to the hundreds of thousands who left their former lives for new ones. A chance to live the “American Dream.” A dream that is currently being destroyed and dismantled piece by piece.
“I think removing the legal status of immigrants is simply ridiculous,” Indiana Youth and Government Senate Education Chair Kailee Barnette said. “These are immigrants trying to start a new life for their families. Most immigrants come here for the American dream. With Trump in office, I no longer believe that the American dream is real. When I think of the dream, I picture freedom and equality. Somehow, both of those rights are not rights for immigrants.”
The removal of the program has left many in chaos.
“Honestly, I don’t know how to feel,” Haitian student Shiska Paul said. “We can’t go back to Haiti since it’s very violent, and I feel like this is very unfair. My family came to this country looking for a new horizon, and they rejected us. They see us as less than human sometimes. We did it the legal way, but I guess that’s not good enough.”
While I understand the removal of the program, I simply cannot understand revoking the status of immigrants.
“I believe if an immigrant goes through the legal process to get their residency or citizenship, then that becomes their American right,” INYaG Senate President Pro Tempore Lily Coler said. “They are protected like every other US citizen, and to act otherwise is simply cruel.”
Trump has cut a lot of things while in office
“I think that terminating any program ‘effective immediately’ ignores the ramifications of the people who depend on the program, pulling the rug out from underneath them without the opportunity to prepare or find alternative solutions,” science teacher Tucker McCord said. “In this case, we are breaking a promise to our new Americans- Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans seeking a better life in the United States, who contribute to our economy. This gave them legal entry with financial assistance provided by a personin the U.S. (e.g., a family member, relative, or friend), not federal or state funding. Since Logansport benefits greatly from the efforts of immigrants, I can only see how this would negatively impact our workforce and community.”
Speaking of Logansport, hundreds of residents in this town benefit from a variety of programs like the CHNV and TPS. We are in a time where people are starting to feel at home. I have many friends who have suddenly disappeared. I have many friends who are completely heartbroken.
“Logansport would be affected more than almost any community in the country if TPS is revoked,” history teacher Bryan Looker said. “Several hundred Haitians live and work here. They are our neighbors. They attend our schools and churches. They are part of the fabric that makes us who we are. Removing even one person does much more harm than just economically. It tatters at the very fabric of our town.”
At a Fort Wayne radio talk show, Lieutenant Governor Micha Beckwith said, “We do not want multiculturalism. We want assimilation into the American way of life, and if you will not do that, then you do not belong here, so we are going to find you and we are going to remove you.”
That is a threat, and I’m afraid of what will happen in this state when the program officially ends. I thought to myself, “There has to be common sense in the federal government.” I was wrong. Logansport, however, has been doing just fine. It’s known as one of the most diverse towns in the state; everything is “business as usual.”
While bad things are happening, there is still hope. A federal judge has indicated she will temporarily stop the Trump administration from ending the program.
“Is it lawful for a single person to have the power to do this?” McCord said. “If we turned this around on an everyday white American, I can imagine the outrage that would ensue if they found out their legal status as U.S. citizens could be eliminated so easily.”
The town of Logansport is trying its hardest.
“With the creation of the Logansport Immigration Committee, we are preparing for any impacts this may have on the city of Logansport,” Logansport Mayor Chris Martin said.
Now more than ever, we have to question authority. Our democracy is delicate and fragile, and it’s up to us to maintain it. We cannot let it fall. We cannot break the Constitution. We cannot go back on our promises made to those who seek a better future.
