NY Attorney General Co-Leads Coalition Defending Humanitarian Immigration Program For Haitians and Cubans

NEW YORK, New York – New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday co-led a coalition of 15 other attorneys general, as well as the City and County of San Francisco, in filing a brief urging the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to uphold an order blocking the Trump administration from mass-terminating humanitarian parole for more than 500,000 Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans.

The parole program, known as CHNV, was established by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under the Biden administration, in 2022 and 2023, allows Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans to enter the US legally for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

James said that often, many were reuniting with family already residing in America.

In an amicus brief filed on Wednesday in Doe v. Noem,  James and the coalition argued that ending the CHNV parole program would harm public safety and economic stability, separate families, damage communities, and endanger immigrants.

“Humanitarian parole exists to support vulnerable individuals and families who have come to our country seeking safety and a better life,” said James. “To suddenly strip thousands of parolees of their status would be cruel and unfair.

“These individuals contribute to our economy, support our health care system, and enrich communities across New York and nationwide,” she added. “My office is fighting to protect humanitarian parolees, their families, and the communities that depend on them.”

The New York Attorney General said parole pathways, like the CHNV program, allow newly-arrived immigrants to temporarily remain in the United States and join the workforce.

On January 20, Trump issued an executive order directing DHS to terminate humanitarian parole programs.

James said DHS proceeded to issue a rule that stripped CHNV parole recipients of their immigration status and work authorization, effective April 24, and signaled its intent to remove any recipients who remained in the country.

In response to a lawsuit from parole recipients, supported by an amicus brief from Attorney General James and 15 other attorneys general, a federal district court blocked the move, citing the catastrophic harm it would inflict and the likelihood that DHS’s actions were unlawful.

Now,  James and the coalition are urging the First Circuit to uphold that ruling and protect parolees.

In the brief, James and the coalition emphasize that these immigrants are vital members of the workforce, pay substantial sums in state and local taxes, and wield significant spending power.

In New York, James said immigrants made up 27.8 percent of the labor force in 2023, and held 75.1 percent of home health aide jobs and 67.7 percent of housekeeping jobs.

Nationwide, she said 240,000 CHNV parole recipients are currently working in critical sectors, including manufacturing, construction and health services.

“Ending parole pathways would deprive New York and other states of substantial economic and social contributions, increase costs, and threaten public safety,” James warned.

In the brief,  James and the coalition assert that terminating parole would have “severe humanitarian consequences for individuals fleeing violence, political persecution and humanitarian crises in their home countries.”

The attorneys general argue that terminating CHNV parole would separate families and put current parolees at immediate risk of removal to countries with “exceptionally dangerous living conditions.

“For many, returning would mean risking their lives,” they argue. “In addition, ending parole could have disastrous public safety effects, as it could deter immigrant communities from engaging with public institutions, including law enforcement.”

Joining James in filing the brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the City and County of San Francisco.