DHS Mass Mailing Letters: "Please Leave the United States Immediately."

Consider an employee who, panicked, comes to you with an e-mailed letter from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that says that his right to live and work in the United States is about to be terminated, and that he has seven days to leave the country. The letter ends with the line “Please leave the United States immediately.”

The e-mailed letter is one of thousands being sent by DHS to people throughout the United States including, in error, to several immigration attorneys. A similar e-mail is being sent internationally.

Who is Getting the E-mailed Letters

The people receiving these letters are individuals who used a Customs and Border Protection mobile app called "CBP One." In particular, the letters are targeting users of the app from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Background

Customs and Border Protection initially launched the CBP One app in 2020 to provide travelers with access to certain CBP services prior to their arrival in the United States. The app was expanded to include a tool for migrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry to seek asylum.

A major change occurred during the Biden administration when CBP One was expanded to permit around 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to stay in the U.S. for two years with work permits, provided they had a financial sponsor and passed a security check. The term of art for their extended stay is “parole” (“CHNV Parole”). 

The CBP One app became the only way that Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans could obtain the CHNV Parole. Applicants for CHNV Parole were required to enter their biographic information into CBP One and provide a photo.

The White House revoked the CHNV Parole on March 25, 2025. The cancellation of the CHNV Parole was due to take effect on Thursday, April 24, 2025. 

Court Blocks Action

On April 14, 2025, a federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the revocation of the CHVN Parole. Because of the U.S. District Court ruling, the “Leave Immediately Letters” have no effect, at least temporarily. The judge's decision means that these individuals, who were previously authorized to live and work in the U.S. under this program, will continue to be protected from deportation for the time being. However, it is unlikely that most of those who received the letter will be aware of the court's action.

What's Next

Right now, the migrants have a temporary reprieve from deportation while the court proceedings unfold. However, it is apparent that those people who received the letters are in the Department of Homeland Security system and can be easily contacted by DHS in the future, should the temporary hold expire.