What does the judge's order that temporarily blocked the cancellation of family reunification parole say?

A federal judge in the United States temporarily halted the mass cancellation of the family reunification parole initiated by the Donald Trump administration. The court order, signed on January 10, provides a temporary reprieve for those who were about to lose their legal status and be at risk of deportation.

Judge Indira Talwani of the Federal District Court of Massachusetts granted a 14-day suspension to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy that prematurely ended the Family Reunification Program (FRP).

The measure affects migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador who had already been admitted to the United States under this mechanism and had work authorization while awaiting permanent residency.

The central point of the judicial decision was not ideological, but procedural and human, as it was determined that the government did not provide individual and proper notification to the affected individuals.

Talwani was unequivocal in stating that publishing a general notice in the Federal Register does not equate to a direct "written notification" to the migrant, as required by DHS regulations themselves.

For many beneficiaries of parole, that lack of notice meant waking up one day to the immediate threat of becoming irregular, with no real time to react.

In turn, the judge warned that revoking the parole without proper notification could cause "irreparable harm," which would imply the migrant's obligation to leave the country or the risk of accumulating illegal presence, ultimately closing the door to permanent residency and, in the future, to U.S. citizenship forever.

The suspended policy had been announced by the DHS in December, arguing that the reunification programs had "security gaps" that could be exploited by fraudulent actors.

According to the agency itself, those who did not have a pending residency application would lose their legal status on January 14. Immigration organizations and lawyers estimated that more than 10,000 people would be affected, including thousands of children.

Talwani's decision does not permanently cancel Trump's policy, but it does require the government to halt the automatic revocation of parole while judicial processes are ongoing.

In the coming days, the DHS will need to submit the administrative file of the case and present its arguments before the court, while the plaintiffs seek to obtain a longer stay or a permanent injunction.