Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Effort to End Temporary Legal Status for Over 500,000 Immigrants

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration cannot proceed with its plan to revoke temporary legal status for more than 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela later this month, Fortune reports.

The decision temporarily halts the administration’s effort to curtail Biden-era immigration programs that provided work authorization and temporary residency.

US District Judge Indira Talwani announced she would issue a stay on the administration’s order, preventing the cancellation of temporary status permits that were set to expire on April 24. During the court hearing, Talwani expressed skepticism about the administration’s justification for terminating the program, stating that the decision lacked a solid legal basis.

“The nub of the problem here is that the secretary, in cutting short the parole period afforded to these individuals, has to have a reasoned decision,” Talwani said.

She argued that the administration’s interpretation of the law was incorrect.

The ruling grants temporary relief to immigrants who had arrived legally through a humanitarian parole program, which allowed them to stay in the US for up to two years with work permits. Many of these individuals had financial sponsors, passed background checks, and covered their own travel expenses to enter the country legally.

For those affected, the decision provides hope amid uncertainty.

“It is very important for me to have protections and not be removed to Venezuela,” said Cesar Baez, a Venezuelan activist who fled political persecution and has been working as a media producer in Washington.

Zamora, a Cuban woman whose work permit is set to expire in September, described the court’s ruling as a relief.

“We are people who, in order to come here, have gone through several background checks,” she said. “The government is taking away our status as if we had been criminals and entered illegally.”

Immigration advocates argue that the administration’s actions contradict its broader stance on reducing illegal immigration.

“We hear the narrative of people coming here illegally and the administration wanting to erase illegal immigration,” said Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “But we clearly see today that even those with legal status, paying taxes, and working are under attack.”

The Trump administration has been implementing sweeping changes to immigration policy, including revoking protections for immigrants who entered under Biden-era programs. The latest move to cancel temporary legal status has drawn criticism from lawmakers, including three Cuban-American Republican representatives from Florida, who have called for protecting Venezuelans affected by the policy.

Additionally, reports indicate that the administration has classified over 6,000 legally present immigrants as deceased, stripping them of Social Security numbers and cutting off access to financial services, work, and benefits. While the Social Security Administration has not commented on the matter, the move is part of broader efforts to encourage self-deportation.