A U.S. federal appeals court has rejected a renewed attempt by former President Donald Trump to terminate temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants, delivering a blow to his immigration policy efforts.
On Monday, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston upheld an earlier ruling that prevented the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from abruptly ending a humanitarian parole program introduced under President Joe Biden. The court’s decision ensures that migrants from nations such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela can continue to legally live and work in the U.S.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, supported by former Trump administration officials, had argued that she had the authority to cancel parole status for all beneficiaries at once. They claimed the court’s interference was effectively forcing the government to allow a large number of migrants to remain in the country.
However, the three-judge panel, all appointed by Democratic presidents, dismissed that claim. The court stated that Noem failed to demonstrate that her sweeping move to end the program would likely stand up to further legal scrutiny.
Karen Tumlin, representing the Justice Action Center, which brought the lawsuit against the administration, praised the ruling and called the attempted cancellation of the program “reckless and illegal.”
The legal dispute arose after immigrant rights groups challenged the Biden-era parole initiative, which was designed to allow migrants from war-torn or politically unstable regions—such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, and parts of Latin America—to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.
Despite the legal challenges, DHS announced on March 25 through the Federal Register its intent to revoke parole for around 400,000 individuals, sparking immediate legal action.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani initially halted the policy and later ruled on April 25 that DHS had misinterpreted the law by seeking to end parole en masse rather than reviewing cases individually. She concluded that this approach exceeded the agency’s legal authority.
As of now, DHS has not commented on the appellate court’s latest decision.
