Latest news with #Nicaraguans
Hans India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
US Supreme Court allows Trump administration ending umanitarian parole for 500,000-plus migrants
US Supreme Court lifted a federal district court order that kept humanitarian parole protections in place for more than 500,000 migrants from four countries of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The court has also allowed the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status for about 350,000 Venezuelan migrants in another case, Xinhua news agency reported. The move has cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants for now, and pushed the total number of people who could be exposed to deportation to nearly one million, local media reported Friday. To address the growing number of migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border, the Biden administration created a parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in late 2022 and early 2023, authorising them to work in the United States for two years after going through certain process. The program protected roughly 532,000 people from the risk of deportation. But soon after beginning his second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to terminate all parole programs. Acting on the executive order, Noem in March announced ending the parole program, with any grants of parole still in effect expiring by April 24. A federal district court judge in Massachusetts agreed to halt Noem's blanket revocation of migrants' temporary legal status when a group of 23 individuals including several parolees and a nonprofit organization challenged Noem's termination of the program. The Trump administration first appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, which declined to pause the district court's order pending appeal; and then sought the Supreme Court's intervention.
Miami Herald
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Miami's Justice Jackson writes blistering dissent to Supreme Court's CHNV ruling
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was educated in Miami public schools and Harvard University, is the newbie on the high court. But Jackson, who joined the court in June 2022 after her nomination by President Joe Biden, has not been shy about speaking her mind. To wit: her eloquent and trenchant dissent in the nine-member court's decision on Friday. She vehemently disagreed with the majority's ruling to vacate a federal judge's order that stopped the Trump administration's plan to prematurely end a humanitarian parole for a half million Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in the United States. Without parole protections during their legal dispute with the administration, Jackson wrote, the immigrants are at risk of being deported back to dangerous countries. Jackson, who was joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor in the dissent, wrote that 'the Court has plainly botched' the assessment of whether the Trump administration would suffer 'irreparable harm' as it claims sole authority to terminate the humanitarian parole program 'en masse.' Keeping the parole program in place while the case makes its way through the court system, she wrote, 'requires next to nothing from the government,' which she stressed would suffer no harm from waiting. Friday's ruling, she added 'undervalues the devastating consequences of allowing the government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly a half million noncitizens while their legal claims are pending.' But Jackson, known as a formidable debater at Miami Palmetto Senior High School in the 1980s, was just clearing her throat. She also noted that the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan nationals who were allowed into the United States by the Biden administration came from 'conflict-ridden countries' and received 'parole status' for up to two years — a policy that President Donald Trump terminated on his first day in office on Jan. 20. The groups sued the Trump administration in federal court in Boston, where in April a judge granted a preliminary injunction preventing the end of the parole program and their possible deportation while their legal challenge is heard. But on Friday, the Supreme Court lifted the judge's protection, leaving them vulnerable to removal as they pursue immigration benefits, such as asylum and green cards. In Jackson's view, the Supreme Court reached the wrong conclusion through flawed legal analysis after evaluating which side would suffer the most if the justices decided to 'stay,' or put on hold, the federal judge's protective order for the paroled immigrants from the four countries. 'The bottom line is this: Our decision to issue a stay (or not) involves more — much more — than merely forecasting the eventual victor; after all, the underlying litigation is designed for and dedicated to determining that,' Jackson wrote. 'What stays are about, at their core, is an equitable assessment of who will be harmed, and to what extent, during the litigation process.' Jackson also pointed out that the ruling presents the immigrants involved with a terrible choice: They can choose to leave the United States and 'confront the dangers in their native country,' or they can remain here after their parole is terminated and 'risk imminent removal at the hands of government agents. 'Either choice creates significant problems for [the paroled immigrants] that far exceed any harm to the government,' she wrote. 'Yet, somehow, the Court has now apparently determined that the equity balance weighs in the government's favor, and, I suppose, that it is in the public's interest to have the lives of a half million migrants unravel all around us before the courts decide their legal claims.' Jackson's dissent is not the first time she has disagreed with her colleagues on the Supreme Court on a major immigration case during Trump's second term as president. Earlier this month, Jackson was the only justice whose name appeared on the court's momentous decision that allowed the Trump administration to revoke deportation and work protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants.
Miami Herald
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Death sentence': CHNV ruling upends lives of South Floridians from troubled nations
Activists, lawyers and elected officials warned Friday of chaos and devastation to come after a Supreme Court decision upended the lives of half a million migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela, many living in South Florida, who could face deportation to their troubled nations after losing legal protections under a Biden-era parole program. Among them: Orlando Valecillos, 71, and his wife, Fanny, Venezuelans who used the humanitarian parole program to reunite with their daughter and is scheduled to have an operation next month. 'I hope I won't be deported before my surgery,' Valecillos, who lives in Homestead, told the Miami Herald. 'I've had serious prostate issues, and treatment only began after we arrived in the U.S.' The Supreme Court granted the Trump administration's request to lift a lower court order that protected immigrants coming through the Biden-era parole program from being potentially deported, following an earlier administration decision to strip them of their legal status. The program is known as CHNV, for the Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans protected under the Biden administration policy. The litigation in the case continues, but in the short term, many migrants will be left with difficult choices. According to some estimates, as many as half of the migrants who entered the United States through the program have applied for other immigration benefits to adjust their status and may have a path to remain in the country –for example, those who had already applied for asylum or for a green card under the decades-old. Cuban Adjustment Act. But others will need to decide whether they will remain in the U.S. without documentation — potentially facing detention and deportation proceedings — or voluntarily returning to countries wracked by violence, hunger and human-rights abuses. The ruling 'sets a dangerous precedent by allowing the Trump administration to dismantle longstanding humanitarian protections for people fleeing persecution and abuse in countries in crisis', said Ida Sawyer, the director of the Crisis, Conflict and Arms division at Human Rights Watch. 'This marks a shameful betrayal of U.S. commitments under international law and human rights norms. The U.S. should be expanding protections, not closing the door.' Ending the protections granted to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans under CHNV will force many to return to countries experiencing 'widespread violence, repression, and instability—putting their lives at greater risk,' she said. 'Haitians, for example, could be sent back to Port-au-Prince, where they could be subjected to killings, kidnappings, forced recruitment, and widespread sexual violence by criminal groups who control nearly all the capital, and where more than half the population suffers from acute hunger,' she said. Friday's decision, potentially green-lighting deportation orders for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, amounts to the 'largest…de-legalization in the modern era,' said Karen Tumlin, founder and director of the immigration advocacy group Justice Action Center. 'I cannot overstate how devastating this is: the Supreme Court has allowed the Trump Administration to unleash widespread chaos, not just for our clients and class members, but for their families, their workplaces, and their communities,' she said. Elected officials from South Florida, where many of the migrants from the four countries have settled, joined in the criticism. U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson called the ruling 'cruel and inhumane' in a post on X. 'These are folks who were escaping brutal dictatorships, gang violence, and turmoil,' she wrote. Wilson noted that the migrants affected by the ruling came to the U.S. legally and have made contributions to South Florida communities. 'Deporting them is a death sentence,' she added. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz echoed the criticism in a post on X, saying it was 'sick and depraved to deport 500,000 people who applied from home, passed background checks, earned work permits, and paid their own way.' She stressed that the migrants are neither criminals nor undocumented. 'They came here legally. But Trump and the Republicans who bow to him could care less,' she added. U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Miami Republican, said the Supreme Court order must be respected but 'was not what many hoped for.' She too said the migrants came legally to the United States. 'One truth remains undeniable: These migrants entered the United States legally, relying on promises made by the Biden administration,' she said. 'These individuals are fleeing brutal regimes and life-threatening conditions. That's why I strongly urge the administration to use its executive authority and grant Deferred Enforcement Departure to prevent them from being sent back to violence and repression.' Maureen Porras, an immigration attorney and vice mayor of Doral, home to large Venezuelan community, said the decision 'is not only devastating but also unprecedented. Its hard to believe that with the stroke of a pen, about half a million people will lose their lawful immigration status and work authorization.' 'It will have a chilling effect on communities across the U.S.,' she added. Families reeling from the court decision In cities like Miami, migrants who came through the program quickly assimilated into the communities here because they were granted legal work permits and had come to the country sponsored by relatives. But Friday's ruling has left many families again facing separation. Valecillos arrived in the U.S. with his wife in August from Venezuela to reunite with their daughter in Miami. Instead of spending their golden years in peace, Valecillos and his wife have endured the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, which forced them to emigrate twice — first to Chile, where they lived for several years, and then to the United States, where they finally reunited with their only daughter after a long separation. The couple entered the U.S. under the humanitarian parole program, which initially granted them two years of protection through August 2026. But less than a year after arriving, they received a notice from the Department of Homeland Security that their parole had been terminated, once again throwing their future into uncertainty. They have since applied for political asylum. Valecillos says he remains hopeful their application will be approved. Their daughter is a green-card holder, and the family hopes that once she becomes a U.S. citizen, she will be able to petition for her parents to adjust their immigration status. 'We had hoped the election in Venezuela would help fix things. Instead, everything is worse,' Vallecillos said, his voice trembling. 'How are we supposed to go back? If we can't stay here, where are we supposed to go? There's so much uncertainty.' Fear among migrants Friday news also sent shock waves through Miami's Haitian community, which finds itself in a particularly troubling situation. Haitians who have fled rampant gang violence and political turmoil say returning to their home country is simply not an option. Kenny Francois, the CEO of LETS Community Center in Miami Gardens, which serves the Haitian immigrant community, was shocked to learn of the Supreme Court's decision. On Friday morning, while he was at a graduation, he didn't know why he was getting so many phone calls. 'So basically, whatever Trump wants to do, he can just do it,' Francois said. 'You know that was the little hope people had, the Supreme Court? That was the only little hope people were holding on to.' Little Haiti native Sammy Lamy, the founder of Jobs4Us, who has helped place more than 600 Haitians in jobs around the country since the Biden-era humanitarian program was launched, said the next few weeks and months are going to be tough. 'The dream has crashed and reality is hitting,' he said. 'I, of course, don't agree with the decision and now we have to figure out what's next, because a lot of people are in limbo.' Lamy, whose parents were both Haitian immigrants, said the uncertainty and fear from Friday's decision will only deepen, especially among Haitians whose country is being gripped by violence and, in some cases, have had armed gangs taking over their homes. One of the most immediate effects of the ruling is that many migrants will lose their jobs. Amid the uncertainty, companies helping resettle refugees are already refusing to hire migrants whose work authorizations expire in less than six months. 'Even if people have time left on their work permit, they're being denied work because they don't have the necessary time,' Lamy said. Adding to the fear are commercials the Department of Homeland Security is running on popular YouTube programs in the Haitian community, warning folks to leave. 'It's a very daunting commercial,' said Lamy. 'People are scared,' Leaving the U.S. Among the four groups affected, Cuban migrants still might end up with better chances to remain in the country, thanks to the Cuban Adjustment Act, Wilfredo Allen, a Cuban-American lawyer, said. The 1966 law says that after one year in the U.S. migrants inspected by immigration authorities and admitted or paroled into the country are entitled to apply for permanent residency. 'It doesn't matter if their parole is revoked later,' Allen said. Still, he is advising Cuban migrants with several months to go to meet the one-year requirement to apply for asylum if they can, advice he says also applies to Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. Allen said the administration is succeeding 'in spreading chaos and panic' among immigrants, and many will likely choose to leave on their own — which the administration has labeled 'self-deportation' — even if actual deportation proceedings in court take time. Some immigrants have already decided that the risk of sudden detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is too much to face, especially when children are involved. Lilian Bustos, a 42-year-old mother from Nicaragua, had been bracing herself for the termination of the CHNV parole program. She and her two daughters, ages 10 and 17, arrived in the U.S. under the program in August 2023. With less than three months left on their stay, she made the heartbreaking decision to send her daughters back to Nicaragua two days ago. 'It's been devastating,' she said. 'My two daughters have been crying non-stop since they left. My oldest wanted to finish high school here—she was fully adjusted and happy. But I didn't want to break the law. We couldn't apply for asylum because we haven't faced any political persecution.' Bustos feels heartbroken that her 17-year-old daughter couldn't finish high school in the U.S. Now, she says, her daughter will likely face delays in completing her education back in Nicaragua. The family is from Chinandega, a rural region known for fishing and cattle ranching. A trained kindergarten teacher in Nicaragua, Bustos recalls how difficult it was to survive on a single income back home. In Miami, she worked in cleaning services and hoped to save as much as possible before her parole expired. Her goal was to return to Nicaragua and open a small business with her husband—who was unable to join the family in the U.S. under the Biden administration's parole program. Now, with the Supreme Court's ruling casting doubt on the program's future, she's unsure what will happen next, but she said she is also planning to return to Nicaragua to rejoin her family.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump administration ending humanitarian parole for 500,000-plus migrants
NEW YORK, May 30 (Xinhua) - U.S. Supreme Court on Friday lifted a federal district court order that kept humanitarian parole protections in place for more than 500,000 migrants from four countries of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The court has also allowed the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status for about 350,000 Venezuelan migrants in another case. The move has cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants for now, and pushed the total number of people who could be exposed to deportation to nearly one million, local media reported Friday. To address the growing number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Biden administration created a parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in late 2022 and early 2023, authorizing them to work in the United States for two years after going through certain process. The program protected roughly 532,000 people from the risk of deportation. But soon after beginning his second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to terminate all parole programs. Acting on the executive order, Noem in March announced ending the parole program, with any grants of parole still in effect expiring by April 24. A federal district court judge in Massachusetts agreed to halt Noem's blanket revocation of migrants' temporary legal status when a group of 23 individuals including several parolees and a nonprofit organization challenged Noem's termination of the program. The Trump administration first appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, which declined to pause the district court's order pending appeal; and then sought the Supreme Court's intervention.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Supreme Court allows DHS to remove protection status for half-million migrants
May 30 (UPI) -- Legal status in the United States can be lawfully revoked for more than a combined 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday. The court only issued an unsigned dissenting opinion acknowledging the federal government can move ahead with its Termination of Parole Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, commonly referred to as CHNV. In March, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to revoke the legal status of 532,000 migrants under sponsorship programs, primarily from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The migrants were granted legal protected status under former President Joe Biden's administration, a program Trump has attempted to wind down amid legal challenges. A federal judge in Massachusetts last month granted a temporary order blocking Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from revoking previously-granted parole to the protected migrants. Earlier this month, Trump asked the Supreme Court to intervene and allow the government to remove protected status. On Thursday, Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ordered the Trump administration to restart processing applications under the migrant program. Friday's Supreme Court ruling returns the issue to the lower courts, giving the Department of Homeland Security the ability to stop processing extension requests from migrants with current legal protections under CHNV while the legal process plays out. "The Court has plainly botched this assessment today. It requires next to nothing from the Government with respect to irreparable harm. And it undervalues the devastating consequences of allowing the Government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly half a million noncitizens while their legal claims are pending," the unsigned dissenting opinion states. Two of the high court's liberal judges, Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, dissented from the majority. "Even if the Government is likely to win on the merits, in our legal system, success takes time and the stay standards require more than anticipated victory. I would have denied the Government's application because its harm-related showing is patently insufficient. The balance of the equities also weighs heavily in respondents' favor. While it is apparent that the Government seeks a stay to enable it to inflict maximum predecision damage, court-ordered stays exist to minimize-not maximize-harm to litigating parties," the dissenting opinion states. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled in a similar fashion when it allowed the Trump administration to revoke special legal protections for nearly 350,000 Venezuelan nationals living in the United States temporarily.
