US judge signals intent to block Trump administration from ending migrant parole program

ISTANBUL

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday said she plans to block the Trump administration from terminating a major immigration parole program that has allowed more than 450,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to live and work legally in the United States.

Speaking during a court hearing, US District Judge Indira Talwani said she intends to “stay revocation of parole” for current beneficiaries of the CHNV program, which was launched in 2022 under then-President Joe Biden to provide lawful entry for migrants fleeing humanitarian crises.

The Department of Homeland Security announced last month that it would end the program and ordered participants to leave the US by April 24 or face deportation. The decision sparked outrage among immigrant advocates and legal groups, who swiftly filed challenges.

In court, Justice Department attorney Brian Ward struggled to defend the administration’s rationale. Talwani questioned the justification, asking pointedly, “Is this simply because this was a Biden program?”

Talwani also noted the lack of legal precedent for such a move, saying, “There’s no cases doing this.”

Laura Flores-Perilla of the Justice Action Center, representing migrants under the program, said the court appears likely to “halt the mass revocation of validly issued parole grants.”

Outside the courthouse, advocacy groups rallied in support of CHNV beneficiaries. Guerline Jozef of Haitian Bridge Alliance told reporters, “We are here today — fighting on behalf of the people who have followed the law.”

Talwani has yet to issue a formal ruling.