A U.S. District Court judge’s ruling on April 14 temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security from moving forward with the termination of categorical parole programs for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) scheduled to take effect April 24.

Key Points:

  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that, pursuant to the federal preliminary injunction order, the parole termination notices sent to CHNV foreign nationals are not currently in effect.
  • DHS published notice of the termination of certain temporary parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans on March 25, 2025, ending their parole and eligibility for work authorization on April 24, 2025, and instructing them to depart the country voluntarily by that date if they did not have another lawful basis to remain in the U.S. The government also sent individual notices to CHNV parolees.
  • Federal Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, issued a ruling on April 14 that temporarily prohibits DHS from revoking parole and employment authorization of CHNV parolees without a case-by-case review, writing that “early termination, without any case-by-case justification, of legal status for noncitizens who have complied with DHS programs and entered the country lawfully undermines the rule of law.”
  • Though litigation remains ongoing and the Trump administration is expected to appeal, the ruling prevents DHS from terminating CHNV parole and work authorization as planned on April 24 and “stays” the individual notices that were issued to CHNV parolees without case-by-case review. Parole and work authorization grants currently remain valid through their original expiration date.
  • The Biden administration established the temporary parole program for Venezuelan nationals in 2022 in an effort to discourage irregular border crossings, and then expanded the program in 2023 to include Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan nationals.

Additional Information: On March 31, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California paused the termination of the 2023 Temporary Protected Status designation for Venezuela, pending further litigation. BAL continues to monitor this litigation and related cases.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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