Judge Orders Trump to Renew Processing of Immigrant Benefits (1)

A group of immigrants and US citizen sponsors won an emergency order directing the Trump administration to end a freeze on visas and other forms of long-term status for immigrants admitted through humanitarian parole programs.

Judge Indira Talwani of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Wednesday also certified a nationwide class in litigation over the dismantling of humanitarian parole protecting half a million immigrants from Ukraine, Venezuela, and other countries.

President Donald Trump has targeted parole programs for termination as part of a larger effort to end lawful humanitarian programs for immigrants to travel to or remain in the US.

Plaintiffs sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year over the cancellation of the Uniting for Ukraine program, a parole process for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and the “Operation Allies Welcome” for Afghans fleeing the Taliban. They also challenged the freeze on new benefits that blocked parolees from applying for another legal status in the US.

Talwani, an Obama appointee, granted plaintiffs’ emergency request for a preliminary injunction, finding that they were likely to succeed with claims that the benefit freeze was arbitrary and capricious.

Presidents for decades have used parole authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to temporarily admit immigrants without a lawful status to the US for humanitarian or public interest reasons. After arriving in the US, those parolees can apply for a green card, asylum, or some other long-term status.

“Our clients and class members are essential coworkers, life partners, and family members to others in the United States,” said Karen Tumlin, founder and director of Justice Action Center, which is representing the plaintiffs. “They deserve to be treated like anyone else when it comes to pursuing other forms of status.”

The plaintiffs argued the termination of parole programs and the freeze on other benefits violated the Administrative Procedure Act and due process protections. In an amended complaint filed March 18, they also challenged the termination of a family reunification parole program, a Central American Minors parole program, and a parole program for family members of active-duty military.

Talwani in April temporarily halted DHS from terminating parole relief for immigrants admitted through a Biden-era program for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The Trump administration has made an emergency request to the Supreme Court to overturn that order.

Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has full authority to modify or cancel the previous administration’s parole policies.

“Doing so is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect our national security,” she said in a statement. “We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side.”

In addition to Justice Action Center, plaintiffs are represented by Human Rights First and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. The government is represented by the Department of Justice.

The case is Doe v. Noem, D. Mass., No. 1:25-cv-10495, order issued 5/28/25.