Donald Trump’s administration has announced all migrants who were allowed to enter the US under the administration of former US president Joe Biden will now lose their legal status as of April 24. More migrants who reached the States under the humanitarian parole programme may be stripped of their status in the future, as Trump is also considering reviewing the presence of some 240,000 Ukrainian refugees in the US.

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday it would revoke the temporary legal status of more than 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who came to the US since October 2022 under a sponsorship process. The notice was posted to the Federal Register and signed by the homeland security chief, Kristi Noem. Under Joe Biden, the programme known as CHNV was designed to open legal migration pathways. It allowed 30,000 migrants a month from the four countries to come under financial sponsorships with two-year work permits.

Those favouring the programme said it reduced illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border, while critics argued it allowed otherwise illegal migrants a free pass to the US.

The new policy impacts individuals already in the US who arrived through the humanitarian parole program, which allows individuals from war-torn or politically unstable countries to enter and reside in the US temporarily.

The Trump administration described the legal mechanism as a “widespread misuse” of humanitarian parole.

Under the new policy, parolees must depart before their parole termination date if they have no lawful basis to stay in the US. The decision could make many vulnerable to deportation if they choose to remain in the US.

The move has been criticised by lawyers and activists, with some citizens and immigrants suing the Trump administration for ending humanitarian parole.

Karen Tumlin, founder and director of Justice Action Center, one of the organisations that filed the lawsuit, called the notice “reckless, cruel and counterproductive.”

She added it is “going to cause needless chaos and heartbreak for families and communities across the country.”

Earlier this month, Trump said that he would decide “very soon” whether to strip the parole status from some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled to the US during the conflict with Russia.

Steve Witkoff faced criticsm for some of his comments made during his interview with Tucker Carlson.

Donald Trump‘s envoy floundered as he tried to name the the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk which have been occupied by Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

He said the regions were “Russian-speaking” and that “there have been referendums where the majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule”, a reference to Kremlin-organised votes after the invasion.

Labour MP Neil Coyle said: “Many people in Florida and Texas speak Spanish but it would be idiotic and offensive to claim that they belong to Spain. Ukrainian territory belongs to the Ukrainian state alone.”

Lib Dem MP Sarah Green, who sits on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine, said: “Witkoff doesn’t care about Ukraine‘s sovereignty. He’s more comfortable repeating Putin’s propaganda than supporting Ukraine‘s heroic fighters and civilians.”

Former Tory MP Bob Seely said Mr Witkoff is “simply regurgitating Kremlin propaganda” aand should “apologise to Ukrainians”.

Broadcaster and author John Simpson said: “I’ve finally read Steve Witkoff’s long interview with Tucker Carlson about Gaza and Ukraine, which he’s supposedly negotiating on.

“It’s embarrassing — very little awareness of the complexities, and shockingly ignorant of detail. Carlson knows even less and can’t challenge him.”

Donald Trump’s latest approval ratings have been released giving an early look at how the American public is responding to his second term in office. Just two months after being sworn in, the numbers provide a glimpse into whether voters are satisfied with his policies or beginning to waver.

Since taking office again on January 20, Trump has moved quickly on his key promises. His administration has imposed a sweeping 25% tariff on goods from Canada, Mexico, China and the European Union. His controversial use of an 18th-century wartime law has facilitated mass deportations.

Meanwhile, his newly established Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has aggressively slashed government departments and humanitarian programs in an effort to eliminate what Trump deems to be wasteful spending.

His recent tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the ongoing war with Russia has also drawn significant attention.

Trump’s approval rating now stands at 46%, according to Gallup.

While this is lower than the historical average of 52% for US presidents dating back to 1938, it is still an improvement from his first term, when his overall approval rating averaged 41%.

At this same point in 2017, his approval rating was even lower, at just 39%.

By comparison, other recent presidents were polling higher at this stage in their terms. Joe Biden held a 54% approval rating, Barack Obama had 64%, and George Bush was at 59%.

John F. Kennedy had one of the highest early approval ratings, with 72% in February 1961.

Political analysts suggest that approval ratings often dip after the so-called “honeymoon period” at the start of a presidency.

Costas Panagopoulos, head of political science at Northeastern University, told USA Today that many voters who supported Trump may now be experiencing doubts as they see his policies in action.

He said: “There are a lot of people who dismissed other claims and comments that he made during the campaign because they expected that his priorities would be in line with things that they wanted. Now they’re seeing well that might not be the case.”

Despite this, Panagopoulos noted that Trump’s support remains strong among Republicans, and the lack of a clear alternative is preventing major shifts in voter sentiment. Democrats are still struggling to unify behind a single leader or strategy.

“At least for now, that might be artificially inflating Trump’s approval numbers overall, but specifically among Republicans,” he continued. “People are not going to move away from Trump until they have an alternative they can move towards.”