For more than 70 years, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have used humanitarian parole processes to allow people to enter the country for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Now, in an unprecedented and unlawful move, the Trump administration is ending these critical processes—some of the last remaining safe and legal pathways for individuals to reach the United States—which will unnecessarily harm parole beneficiaries and sponsors, tear apart families and communities, and further weaken the U.S. economy.
Eleven beneficiaries, seven sponsors, and organizational plaintiff Haitian Bridge Alliance—from Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, Nebraska, Wisconsin, California, and beyond—are suing the Trump Administration over its termination of these crucial humanitarian parole processes. These include: Central American Minors Parole, Family Reunification Parole, Military Parole-in-Place, Uniting for Ukraine, Operation Allies Welcome, and the processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, known as “CHNV humanitarian parole”. Plaintiffs are also challenging the Administration’s order to USCIS to halt processing on all pending applications for these processes and any other alternative immigration benefits that may offer potential relief. We filed a motion for preliminary injunction asking the court to pause or temporarily block the government’s actions while the case moves through the courts.
In 2023, Justice Action Center and partners successfully defended the CHNV humanitarian parole processes after they were challenged by Texas and other states. Now, in Svitlana, JAC and Human Rights First are representing clients who represent several more humanitarian parole processes.
In claiming that “categorical” humanitarian parole programs are unlawful—despite the fact that administrations have used such “categorical” parole programs for the past 70 years—Trump is setting a dangerous precedent, attempting to limit the executive power of future presidents to create these beneficial legal pathways and depriving future generations of humanitarian parole.
On March 25th, the Trump Administration published a Federal Register Notice (FRN) revoking the lawful status and work authorizations of hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of the “CHNV” humanitarian parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Key takeaways here. On April 14th, the Judge issued an order temporarily blocking the FRN’s early terminations of CHNV parole nationwide and certified a class of all individuals who have received a grant of parole that is subject to the CHNV FRN, who are still in the United States, and who choose not to opt out of the class to seek relief in separate litigation.
So far, there have been hearings at the District Court of Massachusetts in Boston on: 3/24/2025, 4/7/2025, and 4/10/2025.
The government appealed and asked the First Circuit Court of Appeals to block the district court’s order while the appeal proceeded, but on May 5th, the Court of Appeals denied that request. On May 8th, the government made the same request to the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court still has to consider this request, so for now, the district court order still stands and CHNV parole beneficiaries will continue to enjoy the period of parole that each was originally granted.
Press releases
- 5/5/25: Appeals Court Denies Trump Administration’s Request to Allow it to Revoke Lawful Status of Hundreds of Thousands
- 4/14/25: Judge Temporarily Halts Trump Administration’s Attempt to Revoke Legal Status of Hundreds of Thousands; Grants Class Certification
- 3/21/25: Trump Revokes Lawful Status of Hundreds of Thousands of “CHNV” Humanitarian Parole Beneficiaries in Unprecedented Move
- 3/18/25: Veterans, Ukrainians and Others Join Legal Challenge to Protect Parole as Lawyers File Motion for Preliminary Injunction
- 2/28/25: U.S. Sponsors and Beneficiaries Sue Over Trump’s Attempt to End Humanitarian Parole
- 1/31/25: Trump Administration’s Cruel and Reckless Plans to Revoke the Legal Status of CHNV Humanitarian Parole Beneficiaries Will Inflict Harm Upon Communities Nationwide
News coverage
- 4/7/25 | WGBH | Federal judge in Mass. considers arguments in parole programs case
- 4/4/25 | States Newsroom | Trump administration says emails ‘sent in error’ ordering Ukrainians to leave the U.S.
- 3/27/25 | Univision | Demandan cancelación del ‘parole’ humanitario porque expone a sus beneficiarios a deportaciones expeditas
- 3/26/25 | CBS | More than half a million Latin American, Haitian immigrants given deadline to self-deport
- 3/25/25 | Miami Herald | Judge weighs lawsuit on Trump move to revoke legal status for a half-million migrants
- 3/22/25 | BBC | Trump revoking protections for Cubans, Haitians and other migrants
- 3/21/25 | AP | Homeland Security revokes temporary status for 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (en español aquí)
- 3/4/25 | KJZZ | New lawsuit aims to revive Trump administration’s cancellation of humanitarian parole programs
- 3/1/25 | The Associated Press | Trump cutoff of humanitarian parole for immigrants from Ukraine, 6 other countries challenged