In a decisive rebuke to the current administration, a federal judge in Boston has ordered the reinstatement of immigration parole programs initiated under the previous administration. This ruling protects thousands of migrants—hailing from Afghanistan, Latin America, and Ukraine—who have been living temporarily in the U.S. under two-year parole permits allowing work and residence.
The judge’s injunction strikes at the heart of an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day back in office, which aimed to end these parole programs, citing legal concerns that parole must be granted individually rather than en masse. Acting Homeland Security leadership responded by halting new parole applications and blocking current parolees from seeking extended immigration protections like asylum or temporary protected status.
However, Judge Indira Talwani, appointed by former President Obama, found the Trump administration’s suspension unlawful. She emphasized that immigration agencies must follow a detailed legal process before altering parole policies, rejecting claims that broad discretion allows abrupt halts.
This ruling follows an earlier decision by the same judge that prevented the administration from stripping parole status from hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The administration has appealed for Supreme Court intervention.
Meanwhile, this legal setback coincides with another blow to President Trump’s agenda: a trade court blocked his tariffs from taking effect. Together, these rulings mark significant judicial pushback against two of the administration’s cornerstone policies on immigration and trade.
The parole programs now reinstated had been a lifeline to many migrants, offering a pathway to work and protection amid global upheaval. This judgment reinforces the court’s role in guarding the rights of vulnerable communities against sudden policy reversals.
