Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin from Removing Legal Status of Over 530,000 Immigrants

What Happened?

A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the Trump administration late Monday from removing the legal status of more than half a million immigrants.

U.S. District Judge, Indira Talwani, ruled late Monday that over 530,000 Venezuelan, Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Haitian nationals can remain in the U.S. under a Biden-era program.

The controversial CHNV program and BP One app aimed to bring order amid the chaotic influx surrounding the Southwestern U.S. border, according to reports.

It also granted immigrants the ability to live and work in the U.S. temporarily.

Recent termination notices from the Department of Homeland Security have instructed tens of thousands of immigrants to leave 'immediately.'

The DOJ reportedly looked to do away with the immigrant statuses by April as part of the Trump administration's effort to shut down the program.

Judge Talwani ruled that migrants from the four countries could remain and obtain authorization to legally work or apply for status adjustments.

'The immediate impact of the shortening of their grant of parole is to cause their lawful status in the United States to lapse early — in less than two weeks,' Judge Talwani wrote in her 41-page ruling. 'If their parole status is allowed to lapse, [the paroled immigrants] will be faced with two unfavorable options: continue following the law and leave the country on their own, or await removal proceedings.'

President Donald Trump and his administration aimed to set the terminations in motion by April 24.

Why it Matters

According to the Federal Register notice, the Trump administration believes that there needs to be an end to the 'vicious cycle' of unlawful immigration.

'These programs do not serve a significant public benefit, are not necessary to reduce levels of illegal immigration, did not sufficiently mitigate the domestic effects of illegal immigration, are not serving their intended purposes, and are inconsistent with the Administration’s foreign policy goals,’ the notice stated.

Trump has previously called for various judges to be impeached for blocking administration policies in the first months of his second term.

The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of the Trump administration in some of these measures surrounding immigration.

An 18th-century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants was allowed by the higher court under the idea they are allowed a court hearing.

The Supreme Court also temporarily paused a lower court order that imposed a midnight deadline to return a Maryland man mistakenly arrested and deported to El Salvador.

How it Affects You

White House attorneys have stated these immigration actions fall under the president's powers despite ongoing legal battles that have challenged these efforts.

Many have raised concern that Trump's motives to deport mass numbers of migrants would result in minimal due process.

Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents under Trump's guidance aim to ramp up efforts despite these concerns.

It will be a key decision if the higher court intervenes and allows a pathway for Trump to break up the CHNV program.

Work permits that normally go with the expiration of protected status could significantly change regardless of an asylum application.