US Supreme Court Clears Way for Trump to End Legal Protections for 500,000 Immigrants

The US Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Trump administration can proceed with revoking temporary legal protections for more than 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These immigrants had received temporary status under the Biden-era CHNV Program, which offered relief to those fleeing violence and instability in their home countries.

A sharp dissent highlights potential harm to immigrants

In a strongly worded dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized the majority’s decision, writing that the court “plainly botched” its assessment by undervaluing the “devastating consequences of allowing the Government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly half a million noncitizens.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor also dissented from the ruling.

Background: Temporary protections under threat

The CHNV Program had protected these immigrants from deportation and allowed them to work legally in the U.S. after fleeing unsafe conditions. However, in January, President Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to “terminate all categorical parole programs” that he argued conflicted with his administration’s policies, including CHNV.

Court’s reasoning and government’s position

The Supreme Court’s order grants a stay on a lower court’s temporary block of the Trump administration’s revocation of the program. The majority concluded that the government met the necessary requirements to pause the lower court’s ruling while legal battles continue.

Justice Jackson, however, pointed out that “court-ordered stays exist to minimize—not maximize—harm to litigating parties,” and argued that the government failed to show it would suffer harm by keeping the protections in place. She warned that ending the program will have “devastating consequences” for the affected immigrants.

With the Supreme Court’s permission, the Trump administration can move forward with ending the temporary legal status for these immigrants.