FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOSTON—Veterans, active-duty members of the military, Ukrainians, and others have joined a newly expanded Svitlana Doe v. Noem, challenging the Trump Administration’s termination of humanitarian parole processes and the blanket pause of parole programs that have thrown their lives in chaos. The lawsuit now challenges the Trump administration’s unlawful termination of Central American Minors Parole, Family Reunification Parole and Military Parole-in-Place. These plaintiffs join 11 others and Haitian Bridge Alliance included in the original Svitlana complaint filed on February 28, challenging termination of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela Humanitarian Parole processes, Uniting for Ukraine, and Operation Allies Welcome. Plaintiffs are also challenging the Administration’s order halting all pending applications for these processes and any other alternatives that may offer potential relief. A motion for preliminary injunction also filed today requesting suspension of parole termination while the case moves through the courts.
Plaintiffs are being represented by Justice Action Center and Human Rights First.
“Our clients have done everything the government has asked of them and more, only to have the rules changed on them,” said Laura Flores-Perilla, Staff Attorney at Justice Action Center. “Their stories aren’t unique: upwards of one million people have been harmed by the Trump administration’s callous and cruel terminations, and they all deserve fair treatment by the government they trusted. We filed our motion today to ensure that they get their day in court swiftly.”
“I served in the U.S. military for 34-and-a-half years,” said plaintiff Adolfo Gonzalez, Jr. My wife is undocumented, and we share a 16-year-old daughter. Keeping our family together means everything to us, which is why we were so hopeful when we applied for Military Parole-In-Place. But when we learned that this process was suddenly terminated and that our application would not be processed any further, we were devastated and felt anxious and betrayed. I am participating in this lawsuit so that I, along with veterans and current service members are allowed to access the benefits promised to us.”
“Humanitarian parole is a vital tool in our immigration system that benefits recipients and their families, as well as their sponsors, neighborhoods, and our economy,” said Anwen Hughes, Director of Legal Strategy, Refugee programs at Human Rights First. “There is no logical or legal reason for ending parole. It should concern all of us when our president is willing to trade effective, safe, and lawful solutions for chaos and cruelty.”
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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.