Since taking office, the Trump administration has carried out an unprecedented mass cancellation of immigration status for those who have complied with all the rules, which could affect more than two million people and fundamentally transform the meaning of legal immigration.

During the videoconference: “From legality to illegality: How the Trump administration reclassifies At a forum organized by American Community Media (ACoM) to discuss the redefinition of legal immigrants as “unauthorized,” several experts addressed the issue.

How is the Administration redefining what it means to be in the country legally?

Hiroshi Motomura, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA, said the first thing to understand is that US law recognizes many different legal immigration statuses.

“There is, of course, citizenship, lawful permanent residence, but also many legal statuses that are sometimes considered intermediate and include work permits.”

He explained that many people with legal status are beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), parole, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

“I should also mention that the administration has announced it will re-examine and possibly revoke already granted permanent resident status, especially in asylum and refugee admissions.”

He pointed out that the government is also very determined to denaturalize citizens; and has announced its attempt to redefine what it means to be a US citizen.

However, the executive order that the government issued in early 2025 would redefine citizenship forever, and therefore, if approved, will strip citizenship from many people who have it today.

What does the announcement to suspend all immigration processes for 19 countries, including Venezuela, mean?

“There are aspects of the announcements that strongly reflect religious and racial discrimination, But the administration will cite national security reasons. Therefore, this will be fought in the courts.”

He pointed out that the practical effect of this is much broader than the legal one.

“What the administration has been doing is making some people feel integrated and others not. Therefore, there are those who are afraid to travel; There are those who meet the requirements for citizenship, but are afraid to apply and speak out publicly. provide a legal and safe pathway to the United States, but also to give people the opportunity to work in the country in response to serious humanitarian crises occurring in other countries.

“People know about the parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, which emerged under the Biden administration, but there are many more, such as Operation United for Ukraine, Allies Welcome, among others.”

But she said that in On the second day of Trump's second term, he announced his intention to eliminate humanitarian parole, specifically the CHNV program (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans), but also parole in general.

“This is all part of the Trump administration's campaign to decriminalize and strip as many people of legal status as possible, and to make them even more vulnerable to situations like deportation and removal.”

She mentioned that this is one of her cases in court, the Svitlana Doe v. Noem class-action lawsuit for parole recipients who had legal status and did everything the federal government asked of them to apply and be eligible, and are now having their bail revoked and being denied the possibility of having their parole revoked.

“This is cruel and unprecedented, and that is what we are addressing in this litigation.”

This is another example of the unprecedented mass delegating of people in the United States who have legal status, such as parole.”

Humanitarian Parole and TPS

Venezuelan activist Adelys Ferro said that every day she hears terror, fear, exhaustion, and betrayal.

“Venezuelan families have spent years doing everything this country asked of them. They register for TPS, apply for work permits, appear in court, pay their taxes, build small businesses, their children are in our schools, churches, universities, and now they're being told that overnight, 600,000 lives could be wiped clean.”

Regarding TPS, she said people describe it as living in temporary permanent status.

“Every announcement,every court decision, every headline, can change your future in a second.”

She noted that in her WhatsApp groups, on her hotline, at community meetings, the messages are all the same.

“What will happen to my children if I lose my work allowed? Should I stop driving for fear of being pulled over? Is it safer to move and disappear?” What will happen to my children if I'm arrested? ever.

“In 2025, one day we were welcomed in the United States. The next day, we are disposable. So the current mood is a mixture of fear-weariness and a quiet but firm determination not to give up and to fight for their rights.”

Judge Shortage

Jeremiah Johnson, a former immigration judge in San Francisco and vice president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, who was removed from his position as a judge, said that people who used to go to court are now afraid to do so.

“I would tell people who are legal permanent residents that even if the Department of Homeland Security tries to cancel their asylum status, a judge could review their status.”

He stated that by removing judges and courts, that review process is eliminated.

“With the detentions, people are put into expedited removal proceedings.”

So when judges are dismissed, as was his case, it looks like the administration is trying to circumvent the law, the judges, and the courts themselves, to simply move forward with this program.

“Immigration judge positions are not being filled. The Attorney General has relaxed the requirements, and more judges are undoubtedly needed, and the National Association of Immigration Judges wants a transparent hiring system in place.”

She estimated that they have laid out about 100 judges; others retired or accepted a provisional retirement plan, and they have had 25 replacements so far.

“In my courtroom, on the entire floor of the San Francisco courthouse, there are empty courtrooms, empty hallways, empty courtrooms, so they are not being replaced.”

Neither Here Nor There

Andrea, a Dreamer and immigrant organizer, said she came to the United States when she was five years old and has been in the country for 20 years.

“I qualified for DACA. I met all the requirements, and just as I was about to apply, the Trump administration canceled the program.I reapplied in 2021 when applications were briefly opened, and my application has been on hold ever since.”

Meanwhile, she graduated from college and is now pursuing her Master of Science in Public Policy and Management.

“Like most dreamers, I'm at a crossroads about what to do next. Where do I go? I'm in a sort of what academics would call a liminal state, neither here nor there, trying to figure out what my next steps are.”