A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked President Donald Trump‘s administration from ending a signature Biden-era program that allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) to enter the country and work legally.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Monday for comment.

Why It Matters

In March, Trump implemented the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law that grants the commander in chief authority to detain or deport noncitizens.

His administration planned to end the “CHNV parole program” as part of broader efforts to roll back immigration efforts, including shutting down similar protections for Afghan and Cameroonian migrants.

The program was previously paused last August under former President Joe Biden out of “an abundance of caution” to look into allegations of fraudulent applications.

What To Know

Judge Indira Talwani of the Federal District Court in Boston issued an emergency stay order on Monday preventing the termination of parole processes that was set to take effect on April 24.

The Biden administration created this program to provide legal pathways for people from these four nations, allowing them to stay for up to two years with work authorization if they had financial sponsors and passed security checks. More than 500,000 migrants entered the country under the program.

Monday’s ruling preserves legal status for participants in the CHNV program until their originally stated parole end dates.

Without this judicial intervention, program participants would have faced imminent risk of deportation hearings within two weeks. The court specifically stayed both the termination regulation published on March 25 and all individualized notices sent to noncitizens informing them their parole was being revoked without case-by-case review.

What People Are Saying

Talwani said without the stay, migrants would: “Be forced to choose between two injurious options: continue following the law and leave the country on their own or await removal proceedings.”

She added: “Early termination, without any case-by-case justification, of legal status for noncitizens who have complied with DHS (Department of Homeland Security) programs and entered the country lawfully undermines the rule of law.”

A DHS official previously told Newsweek in March: “The termination of the CHNV parole programs, and the termination of parole for those who exploited it, is a return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First.”

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which says it fights for “a stronger America with controlled borders, reduced immigration and better enforcement,” but has stirred controversy, previously said on X: “Abuse of the CBP [Customs and Border Protection] One app and the unlawful CHNV mass parole program have been disasters for America.”

What Happens Next

The court order specifies that both the termination regulation and individualized notices remain stayed, “pending further court order.” This suggests a longer legal battle ahead as the case progresses through the courts.