As ICE keeps up pressure in Lower Manhattan court, state AG James takes more legal action to defend immigrant rights

State Attorney General Letitia James filed a brief last week urging a court of appeals to uphold an order blocking the feds from “mass-terminating humanitarian parole” for more than 500,000 immigrants.

James, along with a coalition of 15 other state attorneys general and the City and County of San Francisco, filed the motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on July 2. The group is defending the “Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela” (CHNV) parole program, established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2022 and 2023 to allow people from these countries to enter the country legally for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, according to a press release from James’ office.

The appeal comes as ICE agents under President Trump continue an onslaught of raids targeting immigrants across the country. In New York City, the nexus of these operations appears to happen on a daily basis at immigrant court at 26 Federal Plaza, where federal agents — many wearing body armor and face coverings to hide their identities — stalk courtroom hallways and seize individuals after they attended mandated court hearings.

“Humanitarian parole exists to support vulnerable individuals and families who have come to our country seeking safety and a better life,” James said in a statement. “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. My office is fighting to protect humanitarian parolees, their families, and the communities that depend on them.”

The brief was filed against U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

The CHNV program, enacted under former President Joe Biden, temporarily allows certain non-U.S. citizens to come into or stay in the United States if they apply for admission but lack “any legal basis” for admission, according to the American Immigration Council.

But on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing DHS to terminate humanitarian parole programs. 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, James’ press release states.

Although a federal district court blocked the move, James and the coalition are urging the First Circuit to uphold that ruling and protect the parolees.

James explained that immigrants in the case are “vital members of the workforce, pay substantial sums in state and local taxes, and wield significant spending power.”

The brief also argues that terminating parole would have severe humanitarian consequences for individuals fleeing violence, political persecution, and humanitarian crises in their home countries.

Other state attorneys general who joined James include those from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

Meanwhile, Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, claimed the Biden administration “lied to America” and permitted more than half a million “poorly vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, along with their families, to enter the United States” through “disastrous” parole programs.

“Ending the CHNV parole programs, as well as the paroles of those who exploited it, will be a necessary return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First,” she said.