Boston: In a significant legal development, a federal judge in Boston has halted the U.S. government’s attempt to revoke temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued the ruling on Thursday, delivering a strong rebuke to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for its decision to terminate a humanitarian parole program that had granted migrants from these four countries temporary legal status to live and work in the United States.
The program in question was implemented during the administration of President Joe Biden and provided a two-year parole period for individuals fleeing political instability, violence, and economic turmoil in their home countries. The Biden administration framed the policy as part of a broader strategy to manage migration more humanely and efficiently.
However, under mounting political pressure and amid record-high border crossings, the DHS moved to cut short the parole terms earlier this year. The agency cited legal concerns and policy shifts under President Donald Trump, who has returned to power with a renewed focus on strict immigration enforcement.
Judge Talwani, in her ruling, found that DHS had misinterpreted the legal framework surrounding humanitarian parole. She determined that the department’s decision to revoke the program early was “based on an incorrect reading of the law,” and noted that it failed to adequately consider the impact on migrants who had already been granted parole and had begun to build stable lives in the U.S.
“This court cannot allow an agency to act arbitrarily and capriciously, especially when the livelihoods and safety of hundreds of thousands are at stake,” Talwani wrote in her opinion.
The ruling temporarily prevents the Biden-era program from being dismantled, offering a reprieve to the affected migrants while the legal case continues to unfold. Advocacy groups and immigration attorneys praised the decision as a victory for human rights and due process.
“This is a crucial step in ensuring that our government honors its legal and moral obligations,” said Marisa Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the American Immigration Council. “Many of these individuals fled life-threatening conditions. To pull the rug out from under them now would have been devastating.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet announced whether it plans to appeal the ruling. In the meantime, migrants under the parole program will retain their legal status and continue to be protected from deportation.
The case represents yet another flashpoint in the ongoing national debate over immigration policy, highlighting the tension between enforcement priorities and humanitarian commitments.