Judge Blocks Trump Admin from Revoking Migration Protections of Biden-Era Program
TL/DR –
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s decision to revoke deportation protections and work permits for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who entered the U.S. legally. The migrants came to the U.S. under a Biden-era policy known as CHNV, which granted immigration parole and allowed them to lawfully work in the U.S. for two years. The Trump administration wanted to terminate their legal status by April 24, but the judge ruled that each case must be reviewed individually before termination could take place.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration can’t promptly repeal deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants living legally in the U.S. under a Biden-era program.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani prevented the administration from proceeding with its plan to terminate the legal status of these migrants by April 24. The Trump administration had earlier alerted those affected that they would need to self-deport or risk arrest and deportation.
However, Talwani halted the deportation warnings sent by the government, prohibiting officials from revoking the legal protection, known as immigration parole, granted by the Biden administration to over half a million migrants from these four countries.
Talwani stated that these mass parole terminations could not occur without individually reviewing each case.
CHNV Policy Provides Temporary Protection
The Biden administration’s CHNV program offered a significant reprieve, promoting legal immigration and discouraging unlawful border-crossing. It allowed 532,000 migrants from the aforementioned countries to legally enter the U.S. with sponsorship from U.S.-based individuals.
This program resulted in a sharp decrease in illegal border crossings from these countries. However, it faced legal challenges from Republican-led states questioning the broad eligibility rules of the program.
The Biden administration briefly paused the CHNV policy in 2024 over fraudulent application concerns and declined to allow renewals beyond the two-year limit. Instead, migrants could seek other benefits, such as asylum or temporary protected status, to remain in the U.S.
Trump Administration’s Response to CHNV Policy
The CHNV policy was immediately paused after President Trump’s return to the White House. His administration started to dismantle parole-based immigration policies, arguing that they exceeded presidential authority. Additionally, Trump administration officials claimed that the CHNV arrivals were not adequately vetted.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threatened to arrest and remove CHNV beneficiaries who did not voluntarily leave the U.S. within 30 days or apply for another immigration benefit. DHS representatives have not yet responded to requests for comments on Monday’s court ruling.
Monday’s ruling marks another legal hurdle for the Trump administration in its attempt to cease Biden administration immigration policies protecting numerous migrants from deportation.
The Trump administration received another blow last month when a federal judge in California preserved a Temporary Protected Status policy shielding over 350,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. from deportation.
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