Sileiri Doe, et al, v. DHS, et al., No. 1:25-cv-12245 (D. Mass, filed Aug. 11, 2025)
The Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts and three individuals from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti, respectively, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) challenging the Trump administration’s sudden and unlawful termination of the plaintiff’s parole status, which allowed them to live and work legally in the United States.
Starting in 2023, noncitizens seeking asylum or other immigration relief in the United States were required to use the CBP One mobile application to schedule appointments at ports of entry. After inspection by immigration officials, some were granted parole. However, in April 2025, through a mass email with the message, “It is time for you to leave the United States,” DHS notified hundreds of thousands of noncitizens that their parole status was terminated, and, as a result, their work authorizations and eligibility for certain benefits were also revoked. The email threatened penalties in order to encourage self-deportation.
The complaint alleges that this unlawful policy violates federal law, which requires a case-by-case determination that the purpose of parole was served before it can be ended. The shift in policy also ignores noncitizens’ legal rights and disrupts their lives, costing them jobs, homes, access to health care, and placing them at risk of deportation.
On October 16, 2025, plaintiffs moved for summary judgment against the government. On November 6, 2025, the government filed a consolidated motion to dismiss, cross-motion for summary judgment, and opposition to plaintiffs’ motion. On March 31, 2026, the court granted in part plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, denied three of plaintiffs’ claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and granted the remaining claims presented in plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment. The court ordered that the terminations of class members’ parole statuses announced by the April 2025 termination email are vacated pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 706, and ordered defendants to return class members to the parole status they held prior to the termination email. On April 8, 2026, plaintiffs filed an emergency motion for order to show cause requesting an emergency status conference, due to the parties’ disagreement on the scope of relief granted by the court and the required timeline for defendants to implement that relief. On April 14, the court clarified that defendants are ordered to confirm that they have 1) created a final list of individuals whose parole will be reinstated pursuant to the order, and 2) reinstated parole for those individuals, or show cause for any delay.
Defendants filed a status report on April 21, and plaintiffs filed an emergency motion to enforce compliance on April 23. On April 25, plaintiffs filed an emergency motion for administrative stay of additional parole terminations announced by defendants, arguing that re-terminating plaintiffs’ parole would undermine their requested relief. The court denied the emergency motion for stay, finding its previous order vacated procedurally flawed agency action, and did not grant plaintiffs a substantive entitlement to parole. However, on July 15, the court concluded that defendants did fail to comply with the March 31 order which required them to return class members to the parole status they held prior to the termination email, and further concluded defendants’ conduct merits a limited inherent-powers sanction. The court ordered the parties to confer and submit a joint revised proposed order, which the parties submitted on August 31.
Documents:
- Complaint
- Motion for Summary Judgment
- Order Granting Motion for Class Certification, and Granting in Part and Denying in Part Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment
- Order Denying Motion to Enforce Compliance or Clarify Order
Counsel: Massachusetts Law Reform Institute ǀ Democracy Forward Foundation
Contact: Heather Arroyo ǀ Massachusetts Law Reform Institute ǀ harroyo@mlri.org
