Second time federal judge blocks Trump from cancelling family reunification parole

A federal judge has intervened once more to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle recent immigration programs. Judge Indira Talwani from the Boston District Court issued a preliminary injunction preventing the termination of legal status for over 8,400 immigrants residing in the US under family reunification parole. This initiative was announced by the Department of Homeland Security in late 2025. The court’s decision, delivered on a Saturday evening, effectively prevents the government from revoking the humanitarian parole granted to relatives of US citizens and permanent residents from seven Latin American countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

These individuals legally entered the United States through programs that enabled their family members to sponsor them while they awaited an immigrant visa. These family reunification programs were established or expanded during the tenure of former Democratic president Joe Biden to establish a legal and orderly path for migration and mitigate irregular border crossings. US citizens and legal residents could request temporary residence for close relatives, providing them with work permits and stability during their immigration process progression.

However, in December 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of these programs, citing inconsistencies with their immigration control priorities and alleged misuse to facilitate entry for inadequately scrutinized individuals. The initial plan was to implement this cancellation on January 14, 2026. Responding to this decision, migrant rights organizations filed a class action lawsuit emphasizing that scrapping the programs would jeopardize thousands of families, disrupt ongoing legal processes, and expose individuals to deportation.

In a swift response, Judge Talwani issued a temporary order that suspended the measure for 14 days, pending further evaluation on whether a broader injunction was warranted. Following this assessment, a more comprehensive injunction has been declared indefinitely until a final court decision or a higher court intervenes. In her ruling, Talwani highlighted the Department of Homeland Security’s failure to adequately justify the policy change. She pointed out the lack of evidence supporting fraud allegations and the government’s failure to assess the adverse impact on affected individuals who had uprooted their lives in their home countries in reliance on the program.

The judge deemed the government action as “arbitrary and capricious” for its inability to provide a logical explanation for the policy shift. Furthermore, Talwani criticized the lack of consideration for how these individuals could return to their home countries after being authorized to reside temporarily in the US formally. This court ruling represents a continued clash between Judge Talwani and the Trump administration, following a previous injunction against ending humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of people from other countries.

For now, over 8,000 individuals and their families have been granted relief by maintaining their legal status while the legal battle continues in court. This latest court intervention serves as a temporary safeguard against the abrupt termination of immigration programs and offers hope for those seeking stability and security in the United States.