A United States citizen who is an immigration attorney received an email on Friday morning that told her to self-deport—one of seemingly dozens of recipients.
“It is time for you to leave the United States,” the email sent to Nicole Micheroni, seen by Newsweek, began. “…DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole. Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice.”
Micheroni, a partner at Cameron Law Offices in Massachusetts, who is not on parole told Newsweek that she did not believe the email was a scam, but a sign of the sweeping mass deportation efforts by the Trump administration.
A senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told Newsweek that emails were sent to those associated with parole cases, despite attorney Matt Cameron telling Newsweek that parole recipients must use their own email addresses on applications.
Why It Matters
During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump promised mass deportations of undocumented and criminal migrants, a policy that has been shown to be popular among voters across the political spectrum, before and after the election.
In recent weeks, those who arrived through legal programs, such as humanitarian parole, have had their statuses terminated and been told to self-deport.
What To Know
Micheroni said she got the email Friday morning. While she is very used to receiving emails from DHS, this time it was not about a client, but it was only addressed to her email address.
“It caught me a little off-guard,” she told Newsweek, believing the email to be a mistake at first as she was born in the U.S. and there’s no parole to be terminated. “But afterwards, I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe they are just sending this out to those it just doesn’t apply to.'”
The email, which was one block paragraph with little official imagery, was sent from a no-reply government address, which is common when United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updates an immigrant on their case.
After informing the recipient that their parole is being terminated, the message states the individual should self-deport using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home app and warns of serious penalties if that does not happen.
“Again, DHS is terminating your parole. Do not attempt to remain in the United States – the federal government will find you. Please depart the United States immediately,” the email read.
Newsweek has seen multiple reports on social media of similar emails sent to those with green cards and visas, as well as other U.S. citizens, including the wife of another immigration attorney.
“I think a lot of them might believe it when they don’t need to,” Micheroni said. “A lot of people across the board are really concerned and nervous. Based on what I have seen from other people, this is an email DHS would send. I’ve seen notices terminating parole before, I think the language involved in them has become a lot scarier recently, but I think they are probably real emails.”
The notice comes as those in the U.S. on humanitarian parole from countries including Venezuela and Haiti, who arrived during the Biden administration, have been told their legal status has ended and they must leave within a month.
Ukrainians who also benefited from the program were told to leave in error, DHS said.
In recent days, it was reported by Politico that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had been given access to USCIS data in order to automate the stripping down of the parole system, but it was not immediately clear how those not on the programs had been included on email lists.
On Friday, DHS began enforcing the Alien Registration Requirement (ARR), which means illegal immigrants must register with the government within 30 days or again face tough penalties.
That same day, a social media post was shared in error, DHS told Newsweek, that said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had a role in stopping “illegal ideas” from crossing the border. The image was later deleted.
AP Photo/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
A senior DHS official told Newsweek: “CBP has issued notices terminating parole for individuals who do not have lawful status to remain. This process is not limited to CBP One users and does not currently apply to those paroled under programs such as U4U and OAW.”
The official added: “CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email—such as an American citizen contact—was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients. CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis. To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday: “Needless to say, even if they admit error and take it back, this is the kind of thing that can send a lot of fear through communities. The government has a responsibility to slow down and make sure it gets it right in each case. There is a reason we have procedures for things.”
What Happens Next?
Micheroni said she was waiting on clarity from DHS on what the email to her was about, while the Trump administration has made it clear that it wants as many illegal immigrants to register and self-deport as possible.