A federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday blocked a Trump administration policy that terminated temporary parole status for hundreds of thousands of migrants who were granted the benefit after they entering the United States lawfully through a Biden-era mobile app.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ordered the reinstatement of temporary protection for migrants who entered through the CBP One application, which scheduled appointments for migrants at ports of entry beginning in January 2023. More than 900,000 people legally entered the U.S. through the app and received parole that allowed them to remain in the country for two years with work authorization.

The ruling follows a class-action lawsuit brought by immigration advocacy organizations and immigrants whose parole was terminated. The plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Forward and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, include migrants from Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti, as well as the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts.

What the Left Is Saying

Immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers praised the ruling as a rejection of executive overreach. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said the ruling is "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."

Perryman added: "Our clients followed the law: they waited, registered, were inspected, and were granted parole under the law. The Trump-Vance administration's effort to tear that status away overnight was unlawful and cruel — and today, the court rejected that harmful and destabilizing policy."

Carlina Velásquez, president of the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, said the judge's order "brings long-awaited relief after months of fear and uncertainty" for many Venezuelan families. "These are individuals who followed every step required of them, trusted the system, and built their lives here only to be told they had to leave everything behind," Velásquez said.

The plaintiffs argued that taking away protection en masse was "patently unlawful" and that the parole terminations exceeded the agency's statutory authority while contradicting procedures set forth in its own regulations.

What the Right Is Saying

The Department of Homeland Security strongly disagreed with the decision, calling it "blatant judicial activism."

"Under federal law, DHS had full authority to revoke parole. Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect our national security," DHS said in a statement.

The Trump administration sent emails in April 2025 to parole recipients stating their status had been terminated and urging them to leave the U.S. "immediately." The administration argued it was exercising its legal authority to manage immigration enforcement and border security.

Shortly after returning to office, President Donald Trump shut down the CBP One app and canceled all pending appointments. In early March 2025, the administration launched the CBP Home app to encourage migrants to self-deport and receive "cost-free travel" back to their home countries.

What the Numbers Show

More than 900,000 people legally entered the United States through the CBP One application between January 2023 and the app's termination.

Those who entered through CBP One received parole status allowing them to remain in the U.S. for two years with work authorization.

The Trump administration sent mass emails to parole recipients beginning in April 2025, giving them seven days to leave the country or face potential removal proceedings.

It was not immediately clear how many migrants whose parole was terminated have already been deported.

The judge's order directed the reinstatement of parole status for those affected by the policy reversal.

The Bottom Line

Tuesday's ruling represents a significant legal challenge to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement priorities. Judge Burroughs found that the mass termination of parole exceeded DHS's statutory authority and violated the agency's own regulatory procedures.

The administration must now reinstate parole status for hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered legally through CBP One. DHS has indicated it disagrees with the ruling and may appeal, setting up potential further litigation.

The case highlights the legal complexities surrounding parole programs created under one administration and terminated by another. The outcome could affect how future administrations handle existing immigration benefits granted under different presidential administrations.