U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump to revoke humanitarian parole

The Supreme Court of the United States authorized the Trump administration on Friday to revoke the humanitarian parole granted to more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti, in a decision that could trigger the mass expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people currently with temporary legal status in the country.

With a brief but impactful order, the court accepted an emergency request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to immediately terminate the program established by Joe Biden in 2022, which allowed migrants from those four countries to enter the United States under certain conditions, live legally, and work for two years.

The decision included the dissenting vote of liberal justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor.

In his writing, Jackson denounced that the Court ignored “the devastating consequences” of this mass revocation, which will affect individuals with pending legal processes and lives already established in the United States.

End of a key program of the Biden administration

The humanitarian parole program CHNV, established by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, was designed to alleviate the migratory pressure at the southern border.

It allowed the entry of individuals with legal sponsors in the U.S., after passing security checks, offering them a safe and orderly way to reside temporarily in the country.

Since its inception, more than 532,000 migrants have accessed this benefit. Now, with the Supreme Court's decision, the Trump administration will be able to revoke that status without the need for individual assessments, something that had previously been blocked by federal judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts.

The ruling by Talwani had established that the legal status of these individuals could not be universally revoked without assessing each case individually. However, the Supreme Court put that decision on hold, giving the green light to Trump's policy.

Consequences: half a million people at risk of deportation

At the beginning of the month, Trump filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court in order to overturn Judge Talwani's ruling that prevented the early termination of the humanitarian parole program.

Trump argues that the decision of the Boston district court—which blocked the massive elimination of the program—interfered with his executive authority over immigration and foreign policy.

The administration argues that maintaining the current program undermines federal efforts to deter irregular border crossings and complicates the expedited execution of deportations.

How many Cubans would be left without legal status due to the revocation of humanitarian parole in the U.S.?

In March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the termination of the humanitarian parole programs for citizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members (CHNV programs), which allowed for the temporary entry of migrants for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

DHS argued that these programs failed to reduce irregular migration or significantly improve border security, and they created increased pressure on local communities, public resources, and the already collapsed immigration judicial system.

The notice stated that the current paroles would become ineffective 30 days after the official publication, and that those without any other legal basis to remain in the country would need to leave or face deportation proceedings.

At that time, it was estimated that about 26,000 Cubans would be left without legal protection following the revocation of parole.

The figure -according to a calculation by journalist Wilfredo Cancio for Café Fuerte- included those who entered the U.S. after March 2024 and did not yet meet the requirement of one year and one day of residency in the country, necessary to apply for the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA).

Migration parole, CBP One, and TPS: united by misfortune

The new decision by the Supreme Court is not an isolated event; rather, it adds to a series of recent actions aimed at dismantling the temporary immigration protection mechanisms established during the Biden administration.

Last week, the Court authorized the federal government to withdraw Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from over 350,000 Venezuelans. While this does not mean immediate deportations, it leaves these individuals in legal limbo, with uncertainty about their future and minimal guarantees of staying.

This pattern of hardening also extends to the CBP One program, an initiative that had been promoted as an orderly and safe way to enter the U.S. through the southern border.

In April, beneficiaries of that program began to receive formal notifications of the cancellation of their paroles issued through this application.

"If you do not leave the United States immediately, you will be subject to possible law enforcement measures that may result in your expulsion from the country," stated the communication from the DHS.

A month later, thousands of migrants had already received formal notifications of the imminent revocation of their work permits. For many, these documents were the only legal means to support themselves while processing more stable immigration options.

The mass cancellation of work authorizations issued through the CBP One program particularly affects Cubans who arrived under parole and were hoping for a secure way to settle down.

According to lawyer Liudmila A. Marcelo, "they canceled this type of parole under which those individuals received their permits, and since it is no longer in effect, the associated work permit also loses its legal validity."

Now those migrants must prove within 15 days that they have a valid immigration status; otherwise, their permits will be automatically revoked.

Other processes to regularize your situation—such as the Cuban adjustment—require months or years of waiting, rigorous documentary evidence, and an economic stability that is now in jeopardy.

Overall, what is emerging is a drastic setback in reception and migration regularization policies, with judicial decisions supporting an authoritarian shift in migration matters.

For hundreds of thousands of people who relied on the current legal frameworks, this new stage represents an institutional betrayal and a direct threat to their personal stability and security.

A court favorable to executive powers... if they are Republican

This case is part of a long-standing dispute between the Trump administration and federal judges who have previously stalled its immigration agenda.

Trump has repeatedly sought to expand presidential power without congressional approval, and now, with the conservative majority on the Court, his team has managed to open the door to a reversal of one of the most humanitarian policies of Biden's administration.

The Supreme Court, far from providing a counterbalance, has chosen to strengthen Trump's executive power, even at the expense of the fundamental rights of thousands of people.

While it is expected that the litigation will continue in lower courts, the damage has already been done: migrants with jobs, roots, and families in the U.S. are facing the imminent threat of deportation.

Parole, which at one time was a source of relief and hope, today becomes a broken promise due to a political decision endorsed by the highest court in the country.

Frequently asked questions about the revocation of humanitarian parole by Trump