A federal court ruling pauses the administration’s attempt to dismantle family reunification parole programs affecting migrants from seven Latin American countries.
A federal judge in Boston has blocked the Trump administration’s move to terminate the legal status of more than 8,400 migrants who entered the United States under family reunification parole programs, delivering a significant setback to the administration’s immigration agenda.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction late Saturday, preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending humanitarian parole protections for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The individuals affected are family members of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
What Are the Family Reunification Parole Programs?
The migrants were admitted to the U.S. through family reunification parole programs that were created or expanded under former President Joe Biden’s administration. These programs allow U.S. citizens and green card holders to sponsor eligible relatives abroad, permitting them to live and work in the United States while waiting for their immigrant visas to become available.
The programs were designed to provide a legal pathway for families to reunite, often reducing incentives for irregular migration.
Trump Administration Sought to End the Programs
After President Donald Trump returned to office, his administration moved quickly to scale back parole-based immigration policies. On Dec. 12, DHS announced it would terminate the family reunification programs, arguing they conflicted with Trump’s enforcement priorities and had been abused to allow what the department described as “poorly vetted aliens” to bypass traditional immigration processes.
The termination was originally scheduled to take effect Jan. 14.
Talwani initially issued a temporary restraining order blocking the move for 14 days. Saturday’s ruling extends that pause indefinitely while the case proceeds.
Judge: DHS Failed to Justify Policy Shift
In her ruling, Judge Talwani sharply criticized DHS for failing to support its claims or consider the real-world consequences for migrants who relied on the programs.
She said the department, led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, provided no evidence to back up allegations of widespread fraud. Talwani also noted DHS failed to consider whether migrants could realistically return to their home countries after having sold homes or left jobs.
“The Secretary could not provide a reasoned explanation of the agency’s change in policy without acknowledging these interests,” Talwani wrote. “Accordingly, failure to do so was arbitrary and capricious.”
Talwani was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
Part of a Broader Legal Battle Over Parole
The ruling came as part of a class action lawsuit brought by immigrant rights advocates challenging the Trump administration’s broader rollback of parole protections for migrants.
Earlier in the same case, Talwani blocked efforts to end parole for roughly 430,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. However, that order was later lifted by the Supreme Court and subsequently overturned by an appeals court.
Saturday’s decision is narrower, focusing specifically on the family reunification parole programs and the 8,400 migrants directly affected.
Immigration Enforcement Expands Under Trump
The injunction comes amid a dramatic expansion of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Since taking office, the administration has budgeted $170 billion for immigration agencies through September 2029, marking a historic increase in funding.
While the administration has emphasized stricter enforcement, the court’s decision underscores the legal limits agencies face when reversing existing programs without adequate justification.
For now, the affected migrants will be allowed to remain in the United States legally, a reprieve that could last months or longer as the case continues through the courts.
Featured Image from: ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons