Federal Judge Talwani Blocks Trump’s End To Humanitarian Parole

India-West News Desk

BOSTON, MA – U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani has delivered a blow to the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, ruling on May 29 that the termination of humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of individuals living in the United States was unlawful. This decision centers on Judge Talwani’s finding that the administration wrongly halted the renewal of temporary permits for a wide range of individuals, including those from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, as well as Central American children seeking to reunite with parents in the U.S.

Judge Talwani firmly rejected the Trump administration’s argument that suspending these parole programs fell within its broad discretion over immigration policy. In her ruling, she highlighted two Department of Homeland Security orders that suspended renewals, stating they were “unlikely to survive a legal challenge.” Talwani specifically criticized one order for offering “no reasoned explanation” for its actions, emphasizing that a “pause” that has extended for three months effectively constitutes an “indefinite suspension.” She underscored that federal law still mandates agencies under the Department of Homeland Security to follow a comprehensive process for granting or denying parole and other immigration relief.

This ruling provides immediate relief to thousands of migrants, including those who served alongside the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Ukrainian couples, and Nicaraguans fleeing persecution. These individuals, who entered the U.S. legally under humanitarian parole programs, faced uncertainty after the Trump administration ceased processing their applications for asylum, visas, and other long-term residency requests.

While Judge Talwani’s decision marks a legal victory for immigrants and their advocates, its immediate impact remains somewhat unclear. The Trump administration has already moved to appeal the ruling, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to pause her decision.

The lawsuit was brought forward by a coalition of American citizens and immigrants challenging the Trump administration’s ending of a long-standing legal tool used by presidents to allow people from war-torn or politically unstable countries to temporarily reside in the U.S. These humanitarian parole programs had previously enabled approximately 875,000 migrants with legal U.S. resident sponsors to enter the country.