Stripping Protections for Half a Million Immigrants: Trump Takes His Case to the Supreme Court
Half a Million Immigrants with Permanent Residency Status - Trump Seeks Supreme Court Intervention
Step aside, legal rights for hundreds of thousands of South American immigrants. President Trump's gaming the system again!
In a bold move against Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans holding legal residency in the US, the Trump administration has eyed the Supreme Court. Solicitor General John Sauer called in the big guns, asking the conservative majority Supreme Court to overturn a federal judge's ruling that halted the government from scrapping life-saving protections for 532,000 migrants from these four countries. The Trumpies want the justices to lift the stay ordered by the federal judge, deeming it an invasion of executive power and a major blow to immigration policy.
Not a fan of the federal judge's ruling? According to the Trump team, it's a step toward reclaiming the executive's prerogatives in running the immigration show.
Remember Boston’s feds kinda chilling the Trump administration back in April? Judge Indira Talwani intervened to block the government's attempt to strip away the residency status of these unfortunate souls residing in the US under the CHNV program. Her order deemed the government’s move as a misreading of immigration law.
In defense of "illegals," really?
Talwani wasn't playing around. She argued that the expedited deportation policies are only meant for folks who snuck in sans documents. Those with legal status, like the CHNV holders, should be exempt.
So, Trump's administration, looking to scare voters before the 2024 presidential election, axed the residency of roughly 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who had entered the US through this program. If they couldn't sort out new residency status, they were given till April 24 to ditch the US.
Surprisingly, this program was Joe Biden's brainchild, launched back in October 2022. It welcomed up to 30,000 migrants per month, granted two-year stays due to the dire human rights situations in their home countries, and even allowed for employment.
Trump's hardline stance appealed to many voters, with promises of the biggest deportation campaign in US history. But his approach is as controversial as a rooster in a henhouse, facing repeated legal challenges.
Sources: ntv.de, chl/AFP
- Donald Trump
- Migrants
- USA
Enrichment Data:
The current legal battle over Trump's appeal to end humanitarian protections for 532,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela is evolving as follows:
- Background: The humanitarian parole program originated under Biden's administration in 2023, providing temporary residence and employment to nationals from these countries who were sponsored. The Trump administration aimed to scrap this program, but a federal judge in Massachusetts stayed this action in April 2025.1
- Appeal Process:
- The Trump administration first appealed this decision to a federal appeals court, which declined their request for a stay.3
- On May 8, 2025, the Trump administration made an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court, asking to allow the revocation of these protections. The administration argues that the lower court's decision infringes on the Department of Homeland Security's authority, and the program does not align with US interests.1
- Current Status: The Supreme Court has yet to decide whether to intervene in this case and allow the revocation of humanitarian parole for these immigrants.1
Note: Dates may be approximate to reflect events in descending chronological order.
- The European Union and its Member States, along with human rights advocates, have expressed concern over the Trump administration's intentions to end humanitarian protections for 532,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
- Solicitor General John Sauer, representing the Trump administration, has appealed to the conservative majority Supreme Court to overturn the federal judge's ruling that halted the government from lifting these protections, arguing it as an invasion of executive power and a major blow to immigration policy.
- In response, defenses of the federal judge's ruling argue that the Trump administration's approach disregards legal residency and aims to scare voters before the 2024 presidential election.
- WhatsApp groups concerning general news and policy-and-legislation have seen increased activity and debate over the Trump administration's appeal to the Supreme Court, with opinions divided on the legality and humanity of the proposed action.
