A federal appeals court in Boston has rejected a request from President Donald Trump’s administration to revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela residing in the United States. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to suspend a lower court ruling that halted the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to end the two-year “parole” granted to these migrants by President Joe Biden. This move is part of Trump’s broader anti-immigration strategy aimed at increasing deportations, including of those previously granted legal status.
The administration contended that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had the authority to terminate the migrants’ protected status and expressed concern that the judge’s ruling forced the government to retain individuals it wished to deport. However, the appeals court, composed solely of judges appointed by Democratic presidents, stated that Noem had not demonstrated that her decision to terminate the parole program would likely prevail on appeal.
Karen Tumlin, an attorney associated with the Justice Action Center, which initiated the lawsuit, praised the court’s ruling, labeling the administration’s actions as “reckless and illegal.” The DHS has not commented on the decision. The case arose after the agency announced plans to end almost 400,000 migrants’ parole statuses, which had been part of various Biden-era programs. A federal judge, Indira Talwani, highlighted that the DHS had revoked these statuses without conducting necessary individual reviews. She noted that the agency had based its actions on a legal misinterpretation, believing it could hinder its ability to expedite deportations. The administration may now seek intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court.
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