FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOSTON — The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Trump administration today in Svitlana Doe v. Noem, ruling that the administration’s termination of humanitarian parole was lawful. This ruling impacts the lawful parole status and work authorization for half a million “CHNV” humanitarian parole recipients from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. This is the first ruling in Svitlana since the Supreme Court granted the Trump Administration’s extraordinary request on May 30 to reverse the district court’s order blocking the termination — even before the First Circuit heard the case on appeal in July.
This decision is specifically about CHNV humanitarian parole, but it has significant implications for the other humanitarian parole programs at issue in the Svitlana litigation, such as Uniting for Ukraine and Operation Allies Welcome — jeopardizing the lawful status of hundreds of thousands more currently living and working in the U.S.
The lawsuit was filed by 18 welcomers, newcomers, and service members, in addition to organizational plaintiff Haitian Bridge Alliance. They are represented by Justice Action Center and Human Rights First.
“The Trump administration is fighting tooth and nail to delegalize as many people as possible, actively creating a larger class of people who are subject to deportation — made up even of those who followed the exact processes the U.S. government required of them,” said Karen Tumlin, Founder and Director of Justice Action Center. “Today’s ruling is an urgent and grave threat to all of us who believe in due process and equal protection under the law, and it has immediate consequences for hundreds of thousands humanitarian parole beneficiaries, their U.S. sponsors, and the communities throughout the country who have benefited greatly from their contributions. Our fight cannot — and will not — end here. We have already returned to the district court to seek a final ruling in this case finding this premature termination unlawful.”
“This has never actually been about ‘legal’ or ‘illegal’ immigrants, rather it’s about stripping the lawful rights from as many vulnerable communities as possible in order to advance a cruel and lawless agenda. Let us not forget that we are talking about people who have done everything the U.S. government has asked of them, yet continue to be targeted by the calculated cruelty of the Trump administration,” said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director and Founder of organizational plaintiff Haitian Bridge Alliance. “To our brothers and sisters in the CHNV program: we see you, we are with you, and we will continue to stand by you as we fight for justice.”
“This ruling is a devastating blow to hundreds of thousands of lawful immigrants and their U.S.-based sponsors who welcomed them into their homes and communities, but this is not the end of our legal fight,” said Anwen Hughes, Legal Director of Human Rights First. “We remain firm in our belief that the Trump administration is needlessly and flagrantly flouting U.S. law, and we won’t let this setback keep us from fighting in the courts to pursue justice for our communities.”
For more than 70 years, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have established parole processes to advance important American interests, including promoting family unification, advancing urgent humanitarian interests, and enhancing migration management. More information on Svitlana Doe v. Noem is available here.
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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. Learn more at justiceactioncenter.org and follow us on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. For nearly 50 years, Human Rights First has worked to create a just world in which every person’s intrinsic human rights are respected and protected. Learn more at humanrightsfirst.org and follow us on Twitter/X, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as “The Bridge”, is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and builds solidarity and collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men chay pa lou (“Many hands make the load light”). Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. haitianbridge.org