The U.S. Supreme Court has permitted the Trump administration to terminate a humanitarian parole program that granted temporary legal status to more than 500,000 migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. This ruling, which is in accordance with President Trump’s immigration policy, reversed a previous decision made by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who had prevented the termination on the basis that such extensive cancellations necessitate individual case evaluations. The Supreme Court delivered its decision without a written rationale, placing numerous migrants in jeopardy of immediate deportation as the legal dispute continues. Immigration parole allows individuals to reside and work temporarily in the U.S. for humanitarian purposes. President Biden had broadened the program to mitigate illegal border crossings, providing two-year paroles to qualifying migrants with U.S. sponsors. However, Trump enacted an executive order on his first day back in office to abolish these programs, and the Department of Homeland Security took action in March to reduce parole durations.
The plaintiffs—migrants along with their American sponsors—contended that the termination of the program infringed upon federal law. Despite the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirming Judge Talwani’s decision, the Supreme Court’s stay enables the administration to continue dismantling the program. This represents one of several emergency appeals that the Trump administration has presented to the high court. In a related ruling, the Court also recently authorized the revocation of temporary protected status for Venezuelans and issued a distinct ruling that lessens environmental review obligations for significant infrastructure projects, indicating a wider shift away from established regulatory safeguards.
