Judge Orders Trump Administration to Restore Status for 900,000 Migrants

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled on March 31, 2026, that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated the legal status of approximately 900,000 migrants who entered the United States via the Biden-era CBP One mobile application. The ruling reinstates parole status for individuals who used the app between May 16, 2023, and January 19, 2025, providing them temporary protection from deportation.

In April 2025, the Department of Homeland Security issued mass emails to migrants stating, "It is time for you to leave the United States." Judge Burroughs found that the agency exceeded its statutory authority and violated its own regulations by failing to document that the humanitarian purposes of the parole had been served before revocation. She stated the agency does not have "unfettered discretion" to terminate such status.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security condemned the ruling as "blatant judicial activism," arguing that the Biden administration had "abused the parole authority" to fuel a border crisis. Despite the court order, the agency offered undocumented migrants $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport, warning that those who remain will be arrested.

Democracy Forward and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute filed the class-action lawsuit on behalf of the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts and other affected migrants. Representatives for the plaintiffs described the administration's overnight effort to erase lawful status as "unlawful and cruel."