A federal judge has halted the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the legal status of more than half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, issuing a significant ruling that protects individuals who legally entered the U.S. under a Biden-era immigration initiative.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued the ruling, stopping the administration from enforcing a plan that would have forced hundreds of thousands of migrants to leave the country by April 24 or face arrest and deportation. These migrants had entered legally under the CHNV program, an initiative launched by the Biden administration to offer lawful entry to individuals from politically unstable countries through a sponsorship system.
The ruling is a major setback for the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, which sought to dismantle the CHNV program and other similar parole-based policies. The Department of Homeland Security had previously issued notices warning CHNV recipients that they would need to self-deport within 30 days unless they applied for another form of legal status, such as asylum or a green card.
Judge Talwani’s decision temporarily blocks that plan. She declared that stripping legal protections from individuals without a proper case-by-case review “undermines the rule of law.” Her ruling emphasized that noncitizens who entered the country lawfully and have followed the rules should not face mass deportation without due process.
The CHNV program allowed 532,000 migrants from the four nations to enter the U.S. with a two-year immigration parole and work authorization after securing sponsorship from someone already living in the country. The Biden administration credited this policy with drastically reducing illegal border crossings from those countries.
However, the program was paused in 2024 amid concerns about fraud. The administration also made it clear that the parole would not be renewed after two years, encouraging migrants to apply for more permanent legal protections.
When Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration immediately froze the CHNV program and began efforts to remove those already admitted under it. Officials argued that the policy had been improperly used to admit large numbers of foreign nationals without adequate vetting or legal authority.
The Department of Homeland Security announced it would prioritize enforcement against individuals who failed to apply for other immigration benefits after entering. Those deemed ineligible or who had not taken steps to secure permanent legal status were placed at the top of the removal list.
Judge Talwani’s ruling, however, paused these efforts and instructed the administration to halt the deportation process until individual reviews could be conducted.
This isn’t the only legal challenge the Trump administration has faced in its renewed efforts to undo Biden-era immigration policies. Just weeks ago, another federal court blocked the administration from ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for more than 350,000 Venezuelans.
For now, CHNV recipients can breathe a temporary sigh of relief. But their long-term legal status remains uncertain. The two-year limit on their immigration parole remains in place, and without renewal options, many face difficult choices unless Congress or the administration offers a more permanent solution.
Advocates have applauded the ruling as a vital win for fairness and due process.
Immigration attorney Carlos Mejía, who represents dozens of CHNV beneficiaries, said the decision sends a strong message: “This court is reminding the government that legal pathways matter, and those who follow them deserve protection, not punishment.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet commented on whether it will appeal the ruling or revise its enforcement approach.
As immigration remains a deeply polarizing issue in American politics, the legal battles are far from over. With the 2026 midterms approaching, the fight over how—and whether—programs like CHNV should continue is likely to dominate the national conversation.
For now, the court’s decision grants time, clarity, and a measure of justice for hundreds of thousands of migrants and their families who came seeking a legal path—and found themselves in legal limbo.
