Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Revocation of Migrant Parole Status

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the legal status and work permits of over 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

In a significant ruling, Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, issued an order preventing the Trump administration from terminating the parole and work authorization of migrants who entered the U.S. under the Biden administration’s CHNV mass humanitarian parole program. The program, initiated in 2023, allowed migrants from these four countries to enter the U.S. if they had American sponsors, offering them a temporary immigration status known as parole for two years.

The Trump administration’s decision to end these protections was met with immediate legal challenge, culminating in Judge Talwani’s decision to stay the termination pending further court review. She emphasized the necessity for individualized reviews of each migrant’s case, rather than a blanket revocation of their status.

The CHNV program, which was expanded from initially covering only Venezuelans, was intended to reduce illegal border crossings by allowing better vetting of entrants. However, it faced criticism and was temporarily halted due to reported fraud and criminal activities among some recipients.

The ruling has sparked controversy, with officials from the Trump administration labeling it as ’lawless tyranny,’ arguing that it restricts the president’s executive authority. The decision affects approximately 532,000 migrants who were recently instructed to leave the U.S. before their parole and work permits are officially canceled in late April.

This legal battle underscores the ongoing tensions over immigration policy between the current and previous administrations, with significant implications for the affected migrant communities.