Boston, MA – The Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts and three individuals from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti filed suit today against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by Democracy Forward and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, challenges the Trump-Vance 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, non-citizens 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, which is a temporary permission to live in the U.S. legally. 

However, in April 2025, through a mass email that read, “It is time for you to leave the United States,” DHS notified hundreds of thousands of non-citizens that their parole status was terminated, and, as a result, their work authorizations and eligibility for certain benefits were also revoked. The email, sent to non-citizens with the right to remain legally present in the U.S., and in some cases, the U.S. citizens representing them, threatened penalties to encourage self-deportation.

The filing states 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, ignores non-citizens’ legal rights and disrupts their lives, costing them jobs, homes, access to health care, and placing them at risk of deportation.

“As a community-based organization, we have seen firsthand the direct harm this sudden policy inflicts on people who arrived lawfully, complied with every DHS requirement, including the CBP One process, and worked hard to build stable lives for their families. Stripping them of parole and work authorization without any individualized review is not only unlawful, it destabilizes families, weakens our communities, and undermines the trust immigrants place in the legal system. Our commitment is to stand with them and fight to ensure their rights are protected. At VAM, we believe that protecting migrants is protecting the future of our community,” said Carlina Velázquez and Carlos Martín Medina, Board of Directors, Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts.

“This sudden policy shift is the latest in the Trump-Vance administration’s assault on immigrants who have followed the rules. Let me be clear: none of this is about immigration, it’s about cruelty and the targeting of people in vulnerable circumstances,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Our clients used the CBP One app because DHS required it. To now strip them of their rights and threaten them with deportation is a gross violation of the law and public trust. We’re honored to represent these individuals and to fight for accountability and justice. We will continue to go to court and use every legal tool available to hold this administration accountable.”

“When the government strips away a person’s status and work permit, it pushes entire families into poverty, destabilizes communities, and forces people to choose between basic survival and compliance with an unjust policy,” said Georgia Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. “Ending parole status in this way is both unlawful and harmful to immigrant families by making them more vulnerable to exploitation, detention, and deportation. “  

The plaintiffs are asking the court to reverse the termination of their parole and work authorization, restore their ability to stay, work, and apply for asylum or other immigration relief, and stop DHS from carrying out future mass arbitrary revocations of parole status. 

The case is Sileiri Doe et al. v. Department of Homeland Security et al.

The legal team at Democracy Forward in this case includes Allyson Scher, Brian Netter, and Cortney Robinson Henderson.  

Read the complaint here.

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.