Challenging the Rollback of Humanitarian Parole Programs
Humanitarian Parole Programs allow people seeking safety for “urgent humanitarian reasons” to temporarily find safety in the United States. Throughout history, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have utilized the parole authority, first benefitting Hungarians in 1956. Over the years, parole has been offered following the Vietnam War and World War II, and was recently granted for Ukranians, Afghans, and the CHNV group (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans).
On January 31, 2025, the Trump administration announced their plan to revoke the lawful status of thousands of people who entered the country with humanitarian parole.
Human Rights First and co-counsel Justice Action Center are representing eleven beneficiaries, seven sponsors, and organizational plaintiff Haitian Bridge Alliance—including people from Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, Nebraska, Wisconsin, California, and beyond—who are suing the Trump Administration over its termination of these crucial humanitarian parole programs.
Programs terminated include: Uniting for Ukraine, Operation Allies Welcome, and the process that includes Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, known as “CHNV humanitarian parole”. Plaintiffs are also challenging the Administration’s order to USCIS to halt all pending applications for these processes and any other alternatives that may offer potential relief.
This case has been mentioned widely across media outlets, including in Ttown Media, Law360, and The Miami Herald.
On April 14, a federal court temporarily blocked the government from revoking humanitarian parole for CHNV parolees.
On April 18, a federal judge in Boston certified a nationwide class of individuals with final removal orders who have been removed or face possible removal to a country that was not designated in the removal proceedings. The district court also issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from deporting class members to such countries without first providing them with written notice and an opportunity to show that they will suffer torture and/or death if deported there.
Take Action
Contact your members of Congress and urge them to reject measures that terrorize and harm vulnerable people seeking safety.