Supreme Court unleashes ‘devastation’ on 500,000 legal immigrants as Trump gets go-ahead for immediate mass deportations

The Supreme Court has authorized the Trump administration to proceed with the deportation of approximately 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who had legally entered the United States under humanitarian parole programs established during the Biden administration.

According to Politico, the high court’s decision, delivered in a brief one-paragraph order without explanation, overturns a previous ruling by a district judge who had blocked the mass cancellation of these programs. This ruling means that immigrants who entered through these programs will now lose their work permits and face potential immediate deportation.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor in dissent, warned that the majority’s decision will “facilitate needless human suffering” and unleash “devastation” on the affected immigrants. The two Democratic appointed justices strongly opposed the court’s decision to allow the administration to cancel the programs while legal challenges were still pending.

What does this mean for other immigrant groups under similar programs?

The ruling’s impact may extend beyond the initial 500,000 affected immigrants, potentially affecting another 500,000 individuals who entered the US under similar parole provisions, including Ukrainians, Afghans, and children from Central America. Immigration advocates anticipate that the administration might move quickly to end these other parole programs as well.

In March, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had initially revoked the legal status of immigrants in the CHNV parole programs, giving participants 30 days to leave the country. However, a federal judge in Boston blocked this move, stating that mass termination of immigration status was likely illegal and that officials could only end parole grants on a case-by-case basis.

The Biden administration implemented these parole programs in 2022 and early 2023 to address the chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border by creating a more organized system for migrants. Trump, during his presidential campaign, criticized these policies, claiming they allowed individuals from dangerous countries into US communities.

Solicitor General John Sauer, in seeking urgent relief from the Supreme Court, emphasized that the parole programs were always discretionary and subject to revocation. While program participants can still pursue asylum claims, the administration has indicated its intention to use expedited removal procedures to bypass the backlogged immigration courts and accelerate deportations.