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A federal appeals court on Monday dealt a significant blow to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, refusing to allow his administration to revoke temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
The decision from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected a request by the Trump administration to pause a lower court ruling that blocked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from terminating two-year “parole” protections that had been granted under former President Joe Biden.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, appointed by Trump earlier this year, argued that her department had the authority to cancel the parole program en masse, claiming that the court order was compelling the government to “retain hundreds of thousands of aliens in the country against its will.”
But the three-judge panel — all appointed by Democratic presidents — ruled that DHS failed to make a “strong showing” that its action was legally justified.
In their opinion, the judges emphasized the requirement under immigration law for individualized, case-by-case decisions on parole, as opposed to blanket revocations.
The court’s decision leaves intact a ruling by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who said the administration’s actions violated legal standards. Talwani found that DHS based its policy change on a flawed legal interpretation and failed to follow proper procedures.
“The department cannot cancel parole without reviewing the specific circumstances of each individual case,” Judge Talwani wrote in her April 25 opinion. She also criticized DHS for prioritizing expedited deportations over legal due process.
Karen Tumlin, legal director of the Justice Action Center and lead attorney in the case, praised the appeals court ruling.
“This decision reaffirms that our immigration laws require fairness and individualized review — not reckless and illegal blanket policies,” she said.
The parole program at issue allowed roughly 400,000 migrants to temporarily live and work in the United States. While it does not confer permanent status, parole provides critical protection against deportation and often serves as a legal lifeline for those fleeing crises.
The administration has not indicated whether it will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump, who has vowed to make mass deportations a top priority in a second term, has faced repeated legal challenges to his immigration policies. His administration has already scaled back several humanitarian and visa programs implemented under the Biden administration, including for Afghan and Ukrainian nationals.
The case has drawn national attention, especially in communities with large populations of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants — many of whom fled political instability or economic collapse in their home countries.
Immigration advocates warn that the administration’s continued efforts to rescind protections threaten to separate families and disrupt lives across the U.S.
With this ruling, those migrants now retain their temporary legal status — at least for now — as the broader legal battle continues.
