Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration’s Bid To End Legal Status Of Migrants Granted Under Biden-Era Program

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration‘s bid to end the legal status of immigrants of over half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, granted under a Biden-era program, marking the latest legal blow to the White House’s immigration crackdown.

An ICE agent monitors hundreds of asylum seekers being processed upon entering the Jacob K. Javits

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Massachusetts federal judge Indira Talwani paused a Department of Homeland Security order to end the legal status of immigrants registered under the CHNV (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela) parole program.

In her ruling, Talwani said the DHS secretary “does not have the discretion” to issue a sweeping mass termination of the parole program and each individuals parole grant must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The ruling said that the “early termination, without any case-by-case justification, of legal status for noncitizens who have complied with DHS programs and entered the country lawfully undermines the rule of law.”

The judge said that if the parole program is terminated, the beneficiaries will be forced to choose between “two unfavorable options” of either leaving the country and potentially facing “dangers in their native countries” or facing arrest and detention in the U.S.

The judge also noted that leaving the U.S. could cause family separations.

What Do We Know About The Chnv Program？

The program was first introduced by the Biden administration in 2022 and initially only covered migrants fleeing Venezuela. In 2023, the program was expanded to cover Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan nationals and as of the end of 2024, more than half a million people have entered the U.S. through the program. To receive the special parole, migrants from these countries seeking asylum in the U.S. were required to have a financial sponsor in the U.S. and pass security checks. Beneficiaries of the parole program would be allowed to legally reside and work in the U.S. for a two-year period.

Crucial Quote

“Hundreds of thousands of our neighbors will go to sleep tonight knowing that the Trump administrations attempts to delegitimize and criminalize our communities have been thwarted, for now. This win is a testament to the power and dedication of our communities,” Guerline Jozef, Executive Director and Founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance—one of the plaintiffs in the case—said.