Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore Parole for Migrants Entering via CBP One

A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to restore the legal status of migrants who entered the United States under a Biden-era immigration program, ruling that the executive branch acted unlawfully when it terminated their protections. The decision, issued on March 31, 2026, impacts a population of more than 900,000 individuals who had been granted parole status allowing them to live and work in the country legally.

Court Void Termination of Parole Status

U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs of the District of Massachusetts voided the administration’s decision to end the immigration parole status of migrants who entered the country under the Biden-era CBP One policy. In her decision, Judge Burroughs found that the move violated procedures outlined in U.S. Law. The ruling mandates the reinstatement of temporary protection for migrants nationwide who received notification from the Department of Homeland Security cancelling their parole.

The case centers on the CBP One system, a mobile application used during the Biden administration to schedule appointments for migrants at ports of entry along the southern border beginning in January 2023. Under this program, more than 900,000 migrants from countries across the globe were allowed into the U.S. At official ports of entry. Many received parole that allowed them to remain in the U.S. For two years and receive work authorization.

The Trump administration had stripped these temporary immigration protections after repurposing the phone app. According to reporting, the second Trump administration renamed the application as CBP Home to facilitate self-deportations of those in the U.S. Illegally. The legal challenge argued that taking away the protection en masse was patently unlawful.

Department of Homeland Security Response

Following the ruling, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement disagreeing with the decision. A spokesperson for the agency characterized the court order as an overreach of judicial power.

We disagree with this blatant judicial activism undermining the President’s Article II authority to determine who remains in this country. The Biden Administration abused the parole authority under the disastrous CBP One program to allow millions of illegal aliens into the U.S. Which further fueled the worst border crisis in U.S. History.

Department of Homeland Security

In April 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was terminating the parole status of those processed under the CBP One program. At that time, the agency urged recipients to self-deport or face the prospect of being found, arrested and forcibly deported. Individuals who had entered the U.S. At the southern border through the CBP One app received emails informing them that it was time for them to leave the United States. Those notifications stated that if they did not leave, they could be deported unless they had otherwise obtained a lawful basis to remain there. Their work authorizations were also revoked during that period.

Trump administration officials have argued that the Biden administration did not have authority to create such a program and that it violated U.S. Immigration law by allowing hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter the country outside of the traditional legal immigration system. In a statement issued on March 31, 2026, DHS reiterated that it had the power to revoke the parole status of those allowed in by the Biden administration.

Legal Challenges and Next Steps

The judge’s order follows a class-action lawsuit brought last year by immigration advocacy organizations and immigrants whose parole was terminated. Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a group that challenged the parole terminations in federal court, said the order rejected a harmful and destabilizing policy.

Today’s ruling is a clear rejection of an administration that has tried to erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button. Our clients followed the law: they waited, registered, were inspected, and were granted parole under the law.

Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward

Judge Burroughs wrote in her decision that the parole terminations exceeded the agency’s statutory authority and contradicted the procedures set forth in its own regulations. The Biden administration had previously argued the CBP One program reduced illegal immigration by giving would-be border crossers the chance to enter the U.S. With the government’s permission.

It remains unclear how many migrants will benefit from the ruling since some may have been deported already or gained another lawful status. The Justice Department is likely to appeal the ruling. The Trump administration may seek to appeal the decision, as they have frequently done in cases challenging their immigration policies. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the specific implementation of the restoration order.