A U.S. federal judge has ruled against the Department of Homeland Security’s attempt to revoke parole from nearly one million migrants who entered the country via the CBP One app, delivering a blow to President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies.
Introduced in 2023 during Joe Biden’s presidency, the app allowed asylum seekers to schedule appointments at the southern border, aiming to handle overwhelming arrivals that topped 2.4 million encounters in fiscal year 2023 according to official Customs and Border Protection records. Those approved received two-year parole, permitting them to live and work legally while their asylum applications progressed through a clogged system.
Trump’s administration ended the programme last year, repurposing the app to urge self-deportations amid broader efforts to reverse Biden-era expansions. In April, recipients got stark emails declaring “It is time for you to leave the United States,” with warnings of removal unless they secured another legal foothold. Work authorisations were pulled simultaneously.
On Tuesday, Judge Allison Skye Burroughs of Massachusetts District Court declared the revocations illegal, noting they “exceeded the agency’s statutory authority and contradicted the procedures set forth in its own regulations.” The decision, from a suit by the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts and three women directly hit, reinstates status nationwide for those notified by DHS.
Plaintiffs’ counsel Skye Perryman of Democracy Forward hailed it as a “clear rejection of an administration that has tried to erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button.” Venezuelan Association president Carlina Velásquez added, “For many Venezuelan families, this decision brings long-awaited relief after months of fear and uncertainty.”
DHS had previously condemned the scheme, claiming the Biden team “abused the parole authority to allow millions of illegal aliens into the U.S. which further fuelled the worst border crisis in U.S. history.”
While Trump routinely appeals immigration setbacks and may here, the win offers only temporary respite. Parole expires after two years amid 1.5 million pending cases, leaving many vulnerable soon, as analysts observe. This echoes earlier judicial curbs on Trump’s initiatives, like his 2017 travel ban.