On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s request to revoke the temporary legal status of over 500,000 immigrants previously granted by the Biden administration, placing them at risk of deportation.
The court’s decision came in response to an emergency application from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, effectively ending the Biden-era program that allowed 532,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to live and work legally in the United States.
Those affected by this ruling may still pursue other legal options to remain in the U.S., such as applying for asylum. Lawyers representing these individuals noted that many have already begun this process.
The Supreme Court’s brief order did not elaborate on the rationale behind its decision but included a dissent from liberal Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor.
Justice Jackson criticized the ruling, arguing that the court overlooked the severe consequences for nearly half a million noncitizens whose lives and livelihoods could be abruptly disrupted while their legal claims are still pending.
The court’s decision is a direct challenge to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, based in Massachusetts, who previously determined that the administration could not cancel the legal status of individuals without conducting individualized assessments.
This current situation remains in litigation, but the Supreme Court’s ruling puts Judge Talwani’s decision on hold.
According to Karen Tumlin, a lawyer at Justice Action Center representing the impacted immigrants, the Supreme Court has essentially approved the largest mass de-legalization event in modern history.
Tumlin described the ruling as devastating, stating, “The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump Administration to unleash widespread chaos, not just for our clients and class members, but for their families, their workplaces, and their communities.”
In contrast, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin hailed the ruling as a victory for the American people, claiming that it rectified an error made by the Biden administration regarding the admission of “poorly vetted aliens” into the country.
The issues surrounding these legal statuses began in 2022 when then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas initiated a program providing parole for two years to individuals from the affected countries, aimed at addressing the surge at the U.S.-Mexico border.
This program, known as the CHNV parole programs, allowed individuals to enter the U.S. and remain legally if they passed security checks and had a sponsor who could provide housing.
Similar parole programs have been implemented for individuals from other nations facing violence, including those fleeing from Ukraine and Afghanistan.
In his court filings, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that Judge Talwani did not have the jurisdiction to rule on these matters, asserting that Secretary Noem had been granted authority to make decisions under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.
This act also gave Secretary Mayorkas the discretion to allow the affected individuals to enter and stay in the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security previously indicated that individuals’ parole would not be renewed once their two-year approval period expired in October 2024.
Secretary Noem’s efforts to reverse the Biden administration’s actions have been contested in court by numerous affected individuals and the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an immigrant rights organization.
Legal representatives argued that while Talwani’s decision did not prevent the end of the program, it mandated that the government could not rescind the status of already enrolled individuals through a blanket order.
This legal battle represents just one of many cases in which the Trump administration has complained about lower court judges blocking its policies, amid efforts to expand presidential power without congressional authorization.
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