A federal judge has intervened to halt the Trump administration’s attempts to terminate various immigration programs that protect the legal statuses and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Latin America.
Judge Indira Talwani of the District of Massachusetts made two significant rulings in a class-action lawsuit, mandating the government to resume processing applications for immigrants under humanitarian parole, effectively preventing the Trump-era changes that would have left these individuals without legal status.
The Trump administration’s decision effectively put immigrants on notice that they would need to seek alternative legal pathways within a limited timeframe, exacerbating the uncertainty surrounding their immigration status.
Those affected were faced with two stark choices: risking becoming undocumented immigrants or leaving the United States altogether. Talwani emphasized that it serves no public interest to create a scenario where hundreds of thousands of individuals become unlawfully present in the country and are unable to support themselves or their families.
“What the Trump administration was trying to do was close the doors and then also close all the windows,” commented Esther Sung, legal director at the Justice Action Center, which represented the plaintiffs throughout the legal proceedings.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to inquiries regarding Talwani’s rulings or whether an appeal will be sought.
In her rulings, Talwani reiterated that the determination of who can remain in the country on humanitarian parole must be conducted on an individual basis, and not assessed as a collective group.
Among the individuals affected are those enrolled in programs such as Uniting for Ukraine, which assists Ukrainians fleeing the ongoing conflict with Russia, and Operation Allies Welcome, designed for Afghans who assisted U.S. military efforts.
Anastasiia Vorobel, a participant in the Uniting for Ukraine program, expressed her relief at the court’s decision. She remembered the distress she felt when she learned that the program’s operations were halted shortly after Trump’s inauguration.
“I cried probably eight hours. I couldn’t even concentrate on my work — I went through a lot,” Vorobel shared. Her family has endured tremendous loss during the war, including the deaths of two cousins.
Vorobel recounted fleeing from the explosions in her home country and expressed her fears about being deported while longing for her family’s safety in Ukraine.
Despite the hardships, Vorobel now expresses hope for the future, stating, “The first feeling is that probably we’re going to survive here.”
Talwani’s order comes in the wake of her previous ruling that blocked the Department of Homeland Security from terminating legal statuses for over 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans under the “CHNV program.”
That decision was appealed but upheld by the First Circuit Court of Appeals and now awaits deliberation by the Supreme Court.
The judge’s most recent ruling also entails resuming the processing of other immigration status applications for those on humanitarian parole, as well as allowing for Military Parole-in-Place beneficiaries to have their applications and renewals adjudicated.
This program is crucial as it grants foreign-born spouses, parents, and children of U.S. military personnel the ability to remain legally in the country and work without the fear of deportation.
Talwani noted that separation from family members is detrimental, particularly for those in military service, who often wish to aid their family members in the quest for lawful status.
This expansive legal case affects at least 875,000 immigrants, with the suit initiated by eight individuals who were already in the U.S. when the Trump administration announced the termination of the programs.
American citizens who sponsored these immigrants also joined the case, with some plaintiffs opting to use pseudonyms to protect themselves from potential deportation and retribution.
Among the plaintiffs is Svitlana Doe, who, together with her husband and young son, arrived in the U.S. last November via the Uniting for Ukraine program. Despite applying for Temporary Protected Status earlier this year, her application remains stuck due to the prior administrative changes.
Another plaintiff, Omar Doe, bravely served alongside U.S. military forces in Afghanistan for over 18 years before being evacuated following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
The rulings underscore a significant judicial pushback against the previous administration’s immigration policies, striving to provide a sense of stability for those seeking refuge and safety in the United States.
image source from：https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2025-05-29/boston-judge-blocks-trump-administration-from-suspending-ukrainian-afghan-other-parole-programs
