The US Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration permission to revoke the temporary legal status of over half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—at least for now.
The ruling affects approximately 532,000 individuals who entered the US under a “parole” program introduced by former President Joe Biden. The program allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from the four countries to enter the US legally for a two-year period due to ongoing humanitarian crises in their home nations.
As President Donald Trump adopts a tougher stance on immigration, his administration has worked to dismantle these protections. Legal challenges brought the issue to the Supreme Court, where the government sought to lift a lower court’s order that blocked the revocation of the program.
The conservative-leaning Supreme Court approved the administration’s request, issuing a stay on the lower court’s ruling. The decision was unsigned and offered no explanation. Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, citing “devastating consequences” for the affected migrants.
According to the dissent, the court’s ruling forces migrants to choose between “returning to dangerous conditions in their home countries” or staying in the US and facing potential deportation. They warned that this decision jeopardizes both the safety and legal claims of those involved.
Lower courts had previously ruled against the administration, arguing that the decision to end the program relied on a misinterpretation of immigration law.
Trump has long made immigration enforcement a cornerstone of his political agenda, including plans to deport millions of undocumented migrants.