A federal judge in Boston has ruled that the Trump administration cannot prematurely end the temporary legal protections of over half-a-million Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans who came legally to the United States.

More than 531,000 people in the group, known as CHNV for the initials of the nationalites involved, entered the United States since January 2023 under a Biden-era humanitarian parole program that allowed people from the four countries to live and work in the U.S for two years. To qualify, individuals needed to pass health and background checks, have a financial sponsor, and pay for their own airfare to the United States.

Last month the Trump administration announced the deportation protections and work permits of all beneficiaries would end next week, regardless of when they had entered the U.S. But on Monday night, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued an order allowing the individual paroles to run their original courses. However, she did not keep the program itself running longer than the original two years..

Here is a look at the program, the ruling, and what it means for the hundreds of thousands of people who used it to legally come to the U.S.

Why did the Trump administration end the program?

Former President Joe Biden used his parole authority to allow people from the four countries to come to the United States for humanitarian reasons, as several presidents on both sides of the aisle have done before. But President Donald Trump slammed the program as an abuse of executive power, and issued an order on his first day in the White House to end it. Trump also moved to end parole programs that protected Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia and Afghans who helped American troops.

On March 25, the Trump administration published a Federal Register notice saying that the parole of all beneficiaries of the CHNV program would end on April 24. The federal document said the program “did not serve a significant public benefit … and [is] inconsistent with the Administration’s foreign policy goals.”

What is the lawsuit about?

On Feb. 28, 11 beneficiaries, eight sponsors and immigrant-rights group Haitian Bridge Alliance sued the federal government in anticipation of the CHNV program’s imminent end. The lawsuit argued that such actions are not only illegal because the immigrants entered the country lawfully “but shockingly callous.”

The suit argues that most Ukrainians, Afghans and CHNV parolees have claims to immigration relief, such as family-based immigration visas, Temporary Protected Status and asylum. It seeks to ensure that they are able to apply for those benefits, since the Trump administration has paused application processing for many migrants who came under the Biden administration.

“The Trump administration has sought not only to terminate those legal humanitarian pathways … but to block access to any other longer-term, more stable legal status … so that these people have no options to remain here in safety, to continue contributing to their communities, and to remain with family members,” the lawsuit says.

What did the judge rule?

Judge Talwani blocked the Trump administration from ending individual paroles before their two-year term ran out. For example, if someone on the program arrived in the U.S. in March 2024, their parole will run out in March 2026. The judge’s decision doesn’t change that.

Talwani, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said the immediate impact of the shortening of the grant of parole is “to cause their lawful status in the United States to lapse early — in less than two weeks,” the judge wrote. “If their parole status is allowed to lapse, [the paroled immigrants] will be faced with two unfavorable options: continue following the law and leave the country on their own, or await removal proceedings.”

The judge did not rule on the Trump-mandated pause on immigration benefits applications. However, attorneys are hopeful the judge will rule in their favor, which would allow parolees to continue applying for — or retain — any other legal status they had already pursued before the Trump administration’s decision.

“That’s the reason why the government’s indefinite suspension on the processing of additional immigration benefits is so harmful,” said Esther Sung, director of the Justice Action Center and counsel in the case challenging the government termination of the CHNV program.

How many people does the ruling affect?

Government data shows that 531,690 people came through the program as of December 2024. That includes 110,240 Cubans, 211,040 Haitians, 93,070 Nicaraguans, and 117,330 Venezuelans who flew into U.S. airports. Many of these immigrants came to South Florida to reunite with loved ones,

How many people will have their parole expire this year?

Government data shows that between October 2022 and December 2023, 87,000 Venezuelans came through the CHNV program. In 2023, more than 67,000 Cubans, 260,000 Haitians, and 53,000 Nicaraguans had arrived in the United States and been granted parole.

Between October 2022 and December 2023 a total of 327,000 individuals arrived lawfully under the processes, representing 61% of all participants in the program to date.

The paroles of beneficiaries who entered between October 2022 and April 2023 have already expired. But those who entered after April 2023 will have it expire some time this year.

If they haven’t applied for another form of legal immigration status they will no longer be legally in the U.S., and will be at risk of detention and deportation under the administration’s intensified immigration crackdown.

What do beneficiaries need to know?

While CHNV parolees are allowed to apply for other legal avenues to remain in the U.S., the Trump administration has paused application processing of people who came through the program. Many have applied for permanent residence, asylum, Temporary Protected Status and other forms of status adjustments. But the extent to which individuals are affected depends on their nationality and the specific legal options available to them.

Cubans are eligible to apply for green cards under the decades-old Cuban Adjustment Act, which allows them to become permanent residents after living in the U.S. for more than one year.

Venezuelans who arrived under the CHNV program before July 2023 are eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status. Although the Trump administration has terminated TPS, a federal judge has ruled in favor of keeping the protections in place for now. Haitians who arrived before July 2024 can also apply for TPS. However, The Trump administration rolled back an 18-month extension of the protections, which is also the subject of litigation in federal court.

All four nationalities may apply for asylum if they fear returning to their home countries. However, the processing of those applications — even when legally permitted — may now be delayed or affected due to the administration’s indefinite hold.

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