The Supreme Court has ruled that President Donald Trump may revoke the protected status of approximately 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. This decision is occurring as the 1st Circuit deliberates a case on appeal over Trump’s initial executive order to end these protections. The ruling allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to proceed with revoking the group’s protected status while the legal battle continues.
On January 20, President Trump directed the DHS to eliminate all “categorical parole programs,” which had granted certain immigrants protections against deportation from the United States. These programs prevented thousands of people from being deported back to their countries of origin. Beyond the deferred action, they gave them the peace of mind of allowing them to work legally in the U.S.
The affected immigrants had fled their home countries due to various crises, seeking safety and stability in the United States. A group of plaintiffs challenged the DHS’s decision in federal court in Massachusetts, where a judge initially stayed the DHS’s action, temporarily blocking the termination of the protected status. That decision was later upheld by the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. This temporarily rubber-stamped President Trump’s revocation.
Faced with that imploring the appellate court ruling, their administration filed notice with The Supreme Court. In the end, the Supreme Court permitted the termination of protections to go forward. This decision is hugely important. It affects thousands of people who rely on these protections as a vital lifeline in their adopted home.
The High Court’s ruling is a clarion call about the persistent legal and political war over immigration policy that’s roiling the United States. The case continues to make its way through the courts. The fate of these 500,000 immigrants now balances on a razor’s edge, exposing the tremendous irony endured by so many immigrants, as they fight to seek protection.