BOSTON, Massachusetts — A federal judge on Friday signaled she will block the Trump administration’s effort to terminate family reunification parole programs, a move that would have stripped legal status from an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 migrants from seven Latin American countries.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said she plans to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the Department of Homeland Security from ending the programs, which grant temporary legal status and work authorization to certain migrants seeking to reunite with family members in the United States. DHS announced in December that it would end the programs effective Jan. 14, impacting migrants who entered the country between November 2023 and January 2025.
Talwani cited concerns over insufficient notice and legal deficiencies, expressing frustration with the administration’s approach during a court hearing. She emphasized that migrants participating in the programs were attempting to comply with U.S. law and that the government must also adhere to legal standards.
Without judicial intervention, affected migrants would have been required to leave the country or face deportation, losing their three-year humanitarian parole grants and authorization to work. The programs apply to migrants from Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Honduras.
The family reunification initiative originated under the Biden administration in 2021 to reconnect families separated during earlier immigration crackdowns. DHS data indicates the program helped reunify hundreds of families.
The Trump administration argues the parole programs were abused and allowed insufficiently vetted migrants to bypass traditional immigration processes, aligning with its broader effort to roll back Biden-era immigration policies.
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