loading . . . Let Them Stay Update #7 - Refugees International This is a monthly newsletter about humanitarian parole and policy changes impacting people who entered the United States on parole and their supporters. The newsletter includes updates on policy, litigation, and Congressional activity impacting parole, tells stories about people on parole and their communities, and shares resources and explainers. It is part of a campaign to oppose attacks on parole and immigration enforcement efforts against parolees because they imperil people in need of safety and deprive American cities and towns of beloved and valuable community members . → Join our WhatsApp Channel sharing critical information and updates for people with humanitarian parole and encourage your network to subscribe using this link . → Click here to access our Congressional take action and social media toolkit to Let Them Stay. Doe v. Noem is a case challenging the mass termination of the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela (CHNV) parole processes and the halting of adjudications of immigration applications for parolees who entered on CHNV and other parole programs including Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) and family reunification parole. Despite the ruling of Judge Talwani in the District Court, class members who arrived on parole are facing hold ups in the processing of their applications. As the plaintiffs write in a November 5 motion for expedited discovery in the case:
“As time is running out for many, the fear of removal is also real. The stakes simply could not be higher for those who remain in legal limbo while the clock is ticking…[T]here is a pressing need to ensure that Defendants have made good faith efforts in fact to resume processing of applications in the ordinary course.”
On November 10, the plaintiffs also filed a new motion for partial summary judgement on the issue of DHS’s mass termination of the paroles of people who arrived on CHNV. The plaintiffs write:
“The administrative record in this case exposes a stark truth: Secretary Noem’s mass truncation of CHNV parole was not a reasoned policy decision but an exercise in predetermined conclusion-reaching…the Secretary’s administrative record terminating parole grants for hundreds of thousands of people contains literally nothing—not a single document—evaluating whether the crises [in their countries of origin] persist…Nothing in the administrative record grapples with the fact that allowing parolees to seek humanitarian relief or other immigration benefits was an explicit purpose of the processes… that at least half of parolees (212,542 as of March 9) had pending applications for such relief….the administrative record has no information about how many parolees had U.S. citizen children enrolled in schools, how many had employment contracts or leases extending through their parole periods….There is likewise nothing in the administrative record about the impact on third parties who might have relied on the parolees.”
CHIRLA v. Noem is a case challenging the administration’s placement of people who entered through parole into expedited removal , a fast-track deportation process. On September 12, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the government’s request to stay the district court’s order blocking three directives from the Trump administration authorizing expedited removal of individuals who were paroled into the United States at a port of entry. But, since mid October, the Trump administration has claimed authority to apply expedited removal to people previously paroled at ports of entry pursuant to regulations deeming them “arriving aliens.” (8 C.F.R. §§ 1.2 and 235.3(b)(1)(i)), a position it explained in a November 17 brief to the First Circuit. *** If you learn of DHS invoking this authority in cases of people who were previously paroled into the U.S. at a port of entry, please report them to JAC , which is continuing to challenge the use of expedited removal against parolees. Sileiri Doe et. al. v. DHS et. al. is a new class action lawsuit filed on August 11 challenging mass termination of parole and revocation of work authorization of people who waited for CBP One appointments and entered through land border ports of entry. On October 16, the plaintiffs filed their motion for summary judgement asking the court to vacate DHS’s decision to terminate en masse the parole of people who entered with CBP One appointments and vacate DHS revocations of employment authorizations based on the unlawful parole terminations. On November 6, the government responded that DHS was not required to provide individualized reasons for termination and that the termination emails sent to parolees was adequate notice. As indicated in the Doe v. Noem litigation, the Trump administration is finding numerous ways to slow the processing and reject applications for people who arrived on parole . One recent policy may require USCIS to “consider country-specific factors” within the countries listed in the ongoing travel bans as “significant negative factors” counting against people applying for immigration statuses that require a discretionary analysis . This would affect people who came on parole from countries subject to travel bans such as Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. This means that since Afghanistan, according to the travel ban, “lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents” and Haiti “lacks a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information,” USCIS could deny green cards to individual Afghans and Haitians who came on parole. Even as it continues to arrest people who arrived on parole in its enforcement sweeps, the Trump administration has also begun to publish regulations that limit the ability of those who arrived on parole to work . It has issued a regulation eliminating the 540 day extension on work authorization for those who filed to renew their work permits. It has also issued a regulation precluding people who arrived on parole, among many other immigration statuses, from eligibility for commercial driver’s licenses , though this rule has been stayed temporarily by litigation and states should continue to issue licenses while litigation proceeds. If you or people you know are affected by these rules, please submit comments to the federal register about their harmful impact. Here are template comments about the revocation of the 540 day extension (comments due December 1) and for the commercial driver’s licenses (comments due November 28). The administration will soon publish proposed regulations limiting the eligibility of asylum seekers and parolees for work permits. We will keep you updated about these regulations and how to oppose them through comments and take actions. Earlier this month, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government, extending FY 2025 funding levels through January 30 and barring agencies from projects not funded in the previous fiscal year. There is very limited time left in the session for committees of jurisdiction over immigration to advance meaningful oversight or legislative work. On November 19, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee convened a hearing, “ICE Under Fire: The Radical Left’s Crusade Against Immigration Enforcement.” Witnesses fielded member questions on recent ICE operations in Chicago, and Senator Alex Padilla walked out in protest . Speakers at a shadow hearing convened by House Democrats attested to the harm inflicted during Operation Midway Blitz and highlighted efforts to show solidarity and support for community-members from rapid responders, faith leaders, and court action . We’re updating resources for people with humanitarian parole in multiple languages every other week.
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Need this resource in another language? Or is there another language you can help translate this resource into? Contact Yael Schacher [email protected] . The Refugee Advocacy Lab recently partnered with content creator @AmandaInformed to produce two social media videos– here and here –that unpack the stakes for people with humanitarian parole and a strong message to Let Them Stay! Watch and share: Let Them Stay Video #1 : Instagram and TikTok Let Them Stay Video #2 : Instagram and TikTok Have a story, update, or resource you want included in next month’s Let Them Stay Update? Contact Yael Schacher [email protected] . Share this newsletter with your network. Want to subscribe? Contact Eliza Leal at [email protected] . https://www.refugeesinternational.org/perspectives-and-commentaries/let-them-stay-update-7/
