Judge Orders Trump Admin to Reinstate Parole Status for Hundreds of Thousands of Migrants

A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the temporary parole status of hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the United States lawfully through a Biden-era mobile application. U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the parole status of these migrants violated federal procedures and exceeded the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) statutory authority.

The migrants had been granted parole under the CBP One program, a system launched in January 2023 during the Biden administration that allowed individuals seeking asylum to schedule appointments at official ports of entry along the southern border. More than 900,000 migrants from various countries used the app to enter the U.S. legally, receiving parole that permitted them to stay for up to two years and obtain work authorization. The Trump administration, which shut down the CBP One app shortly after returning to office, replaced it with the CBP Home app to encourage migrants to self-deport.

In April 2025, the Trump administration sent mass emails to parole recipients notifying them that their status had been revoked and urging them to leave the country immediately or face potential law enforcement actions, including deportation. The emails, which were not personalized or signed by any government official, provided no detailed explanation for the termination. The administration argued that revoking parole was necessary to secure the borders and uphold national security, asserting that DHS had full authority to cancel the parole status under federal law.

However, Judge Burroughs found that the mass termination of parole protections contradicted established legal procedures and was therefore unlawful. “The parole terminations exceeded the agency’s statutory authority and contradicted the procedures set forth in its own regulations,” she wrote. The ruling came in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by immigration advocacy groups, including Democracy Forward and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, representing migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti, as well as the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, described the decision as a rejection of an “unlawful and cruel” policy that sought to erase lawful status “with the click of a button.” Carlina Velásquez, president of the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, said the ruling provided “long-awaited relief after months of fear and uncertainty” for families who had complied with all legal requirements.

The Department of Homeland Security has expressed its disagreement with the ruling, calling it “blatant judicial activism” that undermines the President’s authority to determine who may remain in the country. DHS maintains that the Biden administration abused parole authority under the CBP One program, which it claims contributed to a border crisis. The Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision. Meanwhile, the ruling restores legal protections for migrants who entered through the CBP One app, though it remains unclear how many will benefit given that some may have already been deported or obtained other lawful statuses.