In a sweeping move that’s sending shockwaves through immigrant communities, the U.S. government announced on Friday it is ending legal protections for over 500,000 migrants—leaving them with just weeks to either find another path to stay or prepare for departure.

The decision affects approximately 532,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, who had entered the country through a humanitarian parole program introduced by the Biden administration in late 2022 and expanded in early 2023. The program, known as CHNV (Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans), allowed up to 30,000 migrants from these four countries to enter the U.S. each month, granting them legal stay for up to two years.