COALITION OF CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS ACROSS U.S. FILE AMICUS BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TERMINATION OF CHNV PAROLE PROGRAM

 COALITION OF CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS ACROSS U.S. FILE AMICUS BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TERMINATION OF CHNV PAROLE PROGRAM

Led by the City of Boston, MA, 37 cities, counties, and local elected officials argue that residents from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela with parole status play an essential role in economic growth and public safety

BOSTON - Monday, May 19, 2025 - Mayor Michelle Wu has co-led a coalition of cities, counties, and local elected officials from across the United States in writing and filing an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court to stop the Trump Administration’s termination of a critical humanitarian parole program for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. More than 30 cities, counties, and local elected officials from across the country joined the brief. These cities and counties are home to many of the more than 530,000 residents nationwide who are living and working legally under the CHNV Parole Program. The brief argues that by suddenly revoking the legal status and work authorization for hundreds of thousands of residents, the termination of the CHNV Parole Program would have extreme and negative consequences to the economic vitality and public safety of cities across the U.S., including Boston. 

“The Trump Administration’s termination of the CHNV Parole Program targets immigrants, instilling fear in our communities and threatening the foundation of safety and trust that helps keep everyone safe,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We are joining other cities and counties from across the country to protect the rights of more than 530,000 residents who are living and working legally through this program and ensure this critical humanitarian program can continue. We will never stop working to make Boston a home for everyone.”

"We stand in solidarity with our immigrant communities living in fear because of the detrimental actions of the Trump Administration. And more than that, we are working on their behalf.  Protecting the Humanitarian Parole Program is about uplifting our neighbors, defending human dignity and decency, and recognizing that our city's strength is our diversity. We thrive on the contributions of every resident, no exceptions, full stop," said Ruthzee Louijeune, City Council President. 

This amicus brief is in response to the abrupt termination of the CHNV Parole Program announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in late March. The announcement introduced widespread uncertainty in Amici Cities and Counties, with many parolees receiving official notice from DHS directing them to leave the United States by April 24, 2025, with no regard for the homes they would leave behind, the families they would be separated from, or the important jobs that would suddenly be left unfilled.

In Doe v. Noem, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, plaintiffs successfully filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, arguing that DHS’ actions were unlawful and violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Judge Indira Talwani granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, staying the federal government’s termination of CHNV parole. The federal government appealed the district court’s order to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. On April 26, the City of Boston led a coalition of 33 cities, counties, and local elected officials in filing an amicus brief in opposition to the federal government’s motion for a stay pending appeal. On May 5, the First Circuit denied the federal government’s request to stay the district’s court order. 

The federal government has continued to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In coalition with cities, counties, and local leaders across the U.S., the City of Boston has submitted an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in opposition to the federal government’s application for a stay of the district court’s order. Such a stay would allow the federal government’s termination of the CHNV Parole Program to proceed, with immediate consequences for hundreds of thousands of people living in the United States, as well as their communities.

“The abrupt and illegal termination of this humanitarian program will make our local jurisdictions less safe, vibrant, and prosperous,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. “It is cruel to pull the rug out from under people who have built families and lives in our country with the federal government’s permission.”

“Minneapolis is a welcoming city, and that means we always stand up for our neighbors. Immigrants and others who come to this country seeking safety support their families just like everyone else and make significant contributions to our economy. Their livelihoods shouldn’t be threatened by the very leadership sworn to protect them,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “The Trump administration’s actions hurt people and they hurt our economy. Our city is proud to join others in defending against short-sighted immigration policies that create long-term lasting harm for all of our communities.”

Established in January 2023, the CHNV Parole Program was designed to offer certain individuals the right to live and work in the United States if conditions in their home country made it an urgent humanitarian imperative. The program offers vital relief to these families and serves the public interest by reducing reliance on smugglers to cross between land border ports of entry, allowing for pre-vetted migration through airports. During the two-year parole period, individuals could seek humanitarian relief, such as asylum.

In the brief, the City of Boston and its coalition partners argue that their cities and counties have always depended on contributions from generations of immigrants from across the world. Immigrants add to the rich fabric of daily life in cities across the U.S. by enrolling their children in school, engaging in and strengthening our communities, and working across our diverse economies. Residents with CHNV parole have used their work authorization to work in sectors inextricably linked with the health, success, and growth of cities like Boston––from staffing critical roles in our healthcare sector, to providing hot meals in public school cafeterias, to maintaining and operating downtown commercial buildings. Suddenly revoking these residents’ work authorization would cause irreparable harm to local economies and to the provision of essential public services across the U.S. 

Terminating the CHNV Parole Program would also undermine public safety, which depends on a meaningful and carefully built trust between law enforcement and the residents of the communities they serve. This action from the Trump Administration would undercut residents’ confidence in their legal rights and deter them from calling 911 in the event of an emergency or to report a crime. 

By filing this amicus brief, the City of Boston continues its efforts to protect Boston’s immigrant residents and their families from attacks by the federal government. In March, the City of Boston joined an amicus brief highlighting the negative consequences of the administration’s proposed termination of Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Venezuela. In April, the City of Boston signed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful executive order attempting to revoke birthright citizenship. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) continues free immigration consultations to Boston residents twice a month.