FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, eleven directly impacted individuals and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) members represented by Justice Action Center (JAC) and Make the Road New York (MRNY), filed an application asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in Texas v. DHS and allow the federal government to begin granting parole to mixed status families under President Biden’s Keeping Families Together (KFT) process, which has been frozen by a federal district court in Texas since August.
As a result of that court’s stay, thousands of eligible families have been unfairly blocked from accessing parole through Keeping Families Together. The district court’s unlawful stay has been extended to November 8 – at which point the process will have been blocked for a total of 74 days. District courts cannot block federal programs and processes like KFT for more than 28 days without providing requisite legal analysis. The judge has also scheduled a bench trial on Election Day, November 5.
“Keeping Families Together parole is a much needed update to an existing pathway requiring deeply rooted undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to seek travel visas in their countries of origin, a risky, uncertain, and even dangerous process,” said Karen Tumlin, Founder and Director of Justice Action Center. “The district court has acted without authority or precedent throughout this process, and have excluded the crucial perspectives of families whose futures are at stake in this case. We ask on their behalf that the Supreme Court step in to lift the unlawful pause on grants of parole as the case continues to move through the courts.
“The families seeking to intervene in this case want what we all want; to stay together with their loved ones. We will not allow their voices to be marginalized,” said Harold Solis, Co-Legal Director for Make The Road New York. “At the end of the day, our request to the Supreme Court is straightforward: must we all play by the same rules? Can Texas, by merely filing a lawsuit, receive a nationwide injunction without ever being asked to follow the same legal requirements as everyone else? The answer to that question stands to affect everything and everyone. We will continue pursuing every option available until this injustice is put to an end.”
“Families like mine, who have experienced intense pain and made many sacrifices to be here, should not be forced to endure further hardship at the hands of our court system,” said Foday Turay, who filed to intervene in Texas v. DHS. “Keeping Families Together is our best chance at a safe and secure future, and with each day that passes, that future seems more distant. We refuse to remain silent or idle while the court jeopardizes our last hope for remaining together.”
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Justice Action Center (JAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting for greater justice for immigrant communities by combining litigation and storytelling. JAC is committed to bringing additional litigation resources to address unmet needs, empower clients, and change the corrosive narrative around immigrants in the U.S.
Make the Road New York (MRNY) builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services. We have 27,000+ members and operate five community centers in Bushwick, Brooklyn; Jackson Heights, Queens; Port Richmond, Staten Island; Brentwood, Long Island; and White Plains, Westchester County.
