The US Department of Homeland Security has said that it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of  Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month. The news came right as US President Donald Trump pledged to deport millions of “criminal aliens”.

The order applies to about 5,32,000 people from the four countries who have come to the United States since October 2022. Back then, they arrived with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the US. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they will lose their legal status on April 24, or 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.