A federal judge has intervened to prevent the Trump administration from compelling hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans with temporary legal status to leave the United States later this month.
The ruling marks a significant, albeit potentially temporary, setback for the administration, which is actively dismantling Biden-era policies that created new and expanded pathways for immigrants to reside in the United States, generally for two years with work authorization.
US District Judge Indira Talwani announced that she would issue a stay on an order that would have forced more than 500,000 migrants from these four nations to depart the country—sparing them until the case advances to the next phase.
The government had planned to cancel their permits on April 24.
During a court hearing, Judge Talwani repeatedly challenged the government’s assertion that it had the authority to end humanitarian parole for the four nationalities.
She expressed concern that immigrants currently in the program, who are legally residing in the country, were faced with the dire choices of either “fleeing the country” or remaining and “risk losing everything.”
“The nub of the problem here is that the secretary, in cutting short the parole period afforded to these individuals, has to have a reasoned decision,” Talwani stated, adding that the rationale for terminating the program was “based on an incorrect reading of the law.”
“There was a deal and now that deal has been undercut,” she later remarked during the hearing.
Last month, the administration took the notable step of revoking legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, setting them up for possible deportation within 30 days.
These individuals came to the U.S. with financial sponsors, having applied online and paid for their own travel to secure two-year permits that allowed them to live and work in the country.
During this time, beneficiaries were expected to seek alternate legal pathways if they wanted to extend their stay, as the humanitarian parole is understood to be a temporary status.
Former President Donald Trump has been known for systematically dismantling legal avenues for immigrants to enter the U.S., adhering to his campaign promises to deport millions of individuals residing in the country illegally.
Outside the courthouse, immigration advocates voiced their concerns, including Guerline Jozef, founder and executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Jozef insisted that the administration’s actions contradict its narrative about illegal immigration.
“We hear the narrative of people coming here illegally and the administration wanting to erase illegal immigration,” she stated.
“But we clearly see today that is not the case. Even those people who have legal status, are paying their taxes and working are under attack.”
Cesar Baez, a Venezuelan political opposition activist, shared his fears for personal safety and how he fled his country to reach the U.S. under a sponsorship arrangement with a doctor.
Arriving under the humanitarian parole program in December 2022, Baez has been working as a media producer in Washington D.C. for the past year.
He has applied for a work visa as an alternative method to obtain legal status and has also sought asylum; however, those processes are also stalled under the current administration.
For Baez, the judge’s announcement brings hope.
“It is very important for me to have protections and not be removed to Venezuela,” said the 24-year-old.
“I have no doubt that if I set foot in the country, I would immediately be imprisoned.”
Zamora, a 34-year-old Cuban woman who preferred to remain anonymous due to fears of detention and deportation, expressed relief at the judge’s ruling.
“I was terrified of being left without a work permit,” she shared, noting that her status would expire in September.
“We are people who, in order to come here, have gone through several background checks, and the government takes away our status as if we had been criminals and entered illegally.”
Advocates labeled the administration’s actions as “unprecedented,” arguing it would result in numerous individuals losing their legal status and employment, and raised concerns about violations of federal rule-making guidelines.
The government’s lawyer, Brian Ward, claimed in court that ending the program does not prohibit individuals from being eligible for other immigration programs.
He also assured that the government would not prioritize them for deportation—something Talwani found suspect, given the potential for those individuals to be arrested if they access medical care or are involved in accidents.
image source from：https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/11/politics/humanitarian-parole-trump-administration-judge-immigration/index.html
