Judge blocks termination of legal status for over 500,000 Cuban, Haitian, and other immigrants

A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate humanitarian parole for more than half a million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—halting what she called an “unlawful action” that could have stripped them of legal status and work authorization in the United States.

In a 41-page ruling issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of the plaintiffs—immigrants from the four countries who filed suit in February with support from the Justice Action Center and Human Rights First. The lawsuit challenges the administration’s move to end previously granted parole and work authorizations without conducting individual case reviews.

“Plaintiffs were paroled into the United States by complying with the immigration processes made available to them,” wrote Talwani, an Obama appointee. “As lawful parolees, they did not have to fear arrest for being in the United States, were permitted to legally work if they received work authorization, and could apply for adjustment of status or other benefits while paroled into this country.”

Talwani emphasized that abruptly ending the plaintiffs’ parole would have caused their lawful status to lapse “in less than two weeks,” forcing them to either leave the U.S. voluntarily or face removal proceedings.

An estimated 110,240 Cubans, 211,040 Haitians, 117,330 Venezuelans, and 93,070 Nicaraguans have entered the United States under the “CHVN” parole program, according to the Miami Herald. Many of them have settled in South Florida, often under the sponsorship of relatives, and are pursuing asylum or other legal protections.