Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration Unlawfully Canceled CBP One Parole for Nearly 900,000 Migrants and Orders Status Restored
Federal Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the Trump‑Vance Department of Homeland Security unlawfully terminated parole for nearly 900,000 migrants who entered through the CBP One app between May 16, 2023 and Jan. 19, 2025, and ordered their legal status restored. Burroughs found DHS lacked the regulatory authority and failed to follow required statutory and regulatory procedures when it mass‑revoked parole by email; plaintiffs called the mass cancellations an attempt to erase lawful status, while DHS denounced the ruling as blatant judicial activism and defended its authority to revoke parole.
📌 Key Facts
- Federal Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that DHS unlawfully mass‑terminated parole for migrants who entered through the CBP One app, saying DHS regulations do not give the agency 'unfettered discretion' to terminate parole and that the mass termination was 'not in accordance with law.'
- The ruling covers migrants who entered via the CBP One app from May 16, 2023, to Jan. 19, 2025.
- Nearly 900,000 migrants had their CBP One parole canceled by email; in April of last year DHS sent mass messages to many recipients saying it was 'time for you to leave the United States.'
- Judge Burroughs found DHS failed to follow procedures mandated by statute and its own regulations when mass‑terminating parole via email.
- Plaintiffs and advocates—including the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts and Skye Perryman of Democracy Forward—hailed the decision as long‑awaited relief; Perryman said the administration tried to 'erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button' and called the policy 'unlawful and cruel.'
- DHS denounced the ruling as 'blatant judicial activism,' asserted it had 'full authority' to revoke parole, and framed canceling paroles as a 'promise kept' to secure the border and protect national security.
📊 Relevant Data
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 eliminated national origin quotas, leading to a significant increase in immigration from Latin America and Asia, which shifted the US immigrant population from predominantly European (87% in 1965) to more diverse sources, with only about 10% from Europe by 2010.
Fifty Years Later, the Immigration Act That Transformed America — American Immigration Council
US economic sanctions on Venezuela, intensified since 2017, have contributed to the country's economic collapse, with studies linking them to increased migration outflows as Venezuelans flee poverty and instability.
Did Sanctions Relief Drive Venezuelan Migration to the US? A Critical Examination — Center for Economic and Policy Research
As of 2025, the US foreign-born population reached a record 53.3 million, representing 15.8% of the total population, with significant growth from Latin American countries including those eligible for CBP One.
Immigration to the United States — Wikipedia
Haiti's population is approximately 95% Black and 5% mixed or White, meaning Haitian migrants through programs like CBP One predominantly add to the Black demographic in the US, where Blacks make up about 13.6% of the total population.
The CIA World Factbook 2023-2024 — Central Intelligence Agency
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- The NPR article specifies that the ruling covers all migrants who entered via the CBP One app from May 16, 2023 to Jan. 19, 2025.
- It states that the total impacted population is "nearly 900,000" migrants whose parole DHS had canceled by email.
- The story quotes DHS’s on‑the‑record reaction calling the ruling "blatant judicial activism" and asserting DHS had "full authority" to revoke parole.
- It provides additional language from Judge Allison Burroughs that DHS failed to follow procedures mandated by statute and its own regulations when mass‑terminating parole via email.
- Plaintiffs’ counsel Skye Perryman characterizes the Trump‑Vance administration’s mass revocation as trying to "erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button."
- Article quotes Judge Allison Burroughs’ opinion that DHS regulations do not give the agency 'unfettered discretion' to terminate parole and that the mass termination was 'not in accordance with law.'
- It specifies that in April of last year DHS sent mass emails to many of the roughly 900,000 CBP One parolees telling them it was 'time for you to leave the United States.'
- Democracy Forward’s president Skye Perryman calls the move an attempt to 'erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button' and labels the Trump‑Vance administration’s policy 'unlawful and cruel.'
- A DHS spokesperson denounces the ruling as 'blatant judicial activism' and frames canceling paroles as a 'promise kept' to secure the border and protect national security.
- The Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, a plaintiff, publicly celebrates the decision as bringing 'long‑awaited relief after months of fear and uncertainty.'