The Trump administration failed to follow proper procedure when it terminated temporary protection for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, a federal judge said on March 31.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary can terminate parole, the temporary protection, but must only do so after finding that “the purposes of such parole … have been served,” according to federal law.
The Biden administration granted parole for more than 900,000 illegal immigrants in 2025, according to lawyers for some of the immigrants. Government officials ended the parole in 2025 after the DHS secretary found the purposes of the parole had been served.
But officials provided no documentation of that determination, meaning that the DHS did not adhere to the law and agency rules, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said on March 31.
“Accordingly, the parole terminations exceeded the agency’s statutory authority and contradicted the procedures set forth in its own regulations,” she said in a 25-page ruling.
Burroughs vacated an April 2025 email sent by officials to some foreign nationals who had been granted parole, telling them, “It is time for you to leave the United States” and “please depart the United States immediately.”
Hellbound and Down 