Trump administration must restore legal status for thousands of immigrants, judge rules

The Trump administration must restore the legal status of potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States legally through a Biden-era pathway, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said on Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security acted unlawfully last year when it sent a notice telling many of the over 900,000 immigrants who used the CBP One app: "It is time for you to leave the United States."

During the Biden administration, nearly over 900,000 immigrants used the app to make appointments with immigration officials at ports of entry in hopes of later applying for humanitarian parole or other forms of immigration relief that would allow them to enter the country. Those who were granted parole were allowed to temporarily receive work authorization while their cases were adjudicated.

But in one of his first acts as president, President Donald Trump terminated that function of the CBP app, and DHS later sent notices to those who used it, telling them the government was exercising its right to end their legal status. Within hours of Trump taking office, countless applicants waiting at the border were told their appointments had been canceled.

DHS subsequently repurposed the app primarily to allow migrants to self-deport.

The Trump administration is likely to appeal Judge Burroughs' decision.