A U.S. District Judge delivers a significant blow to the Trump administration’s immigration agenda on April 14, 2025, ruling that the White House cannot revoke the legal status of thousands of migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti who entered the U.S. legally under a Biden-era humanitarian program. The decision, handed down by Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco, halts the administration’s plan to terminate the legal status and work permits of approximately 532,000 migrants by April 24, a move that would have forced them to self-deport or face arrest and deportation. Judge Tigar suspends the administration’s warnings, mandating that each case be reviewed individually to ensure due process, a ruling that immigrant advocacy groups hail as a critical defense of humanitarian protections. The White House, however, remains defiant, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserting on April 15 that the administration is focused on “making the streets safer” by deporting undocumented immigrants, while accusing the Biden administration of having “abused the system” with lax immigration policies.
The Biden-era program, initiated in October 2022, allows migrants from these four countries to apply for humanitarian parole, granting them two-year work permits and legal residency under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or parole conditions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under Trump’s direction, announces on March 15, 2025, its intent to rescind these protections, citing national security concerns and alleging that many beneficiaries pose risks due to potential gang affiliations, a claim immigrant advocates dispute as baseless. The administration’s plan sparks immediate backlash, with advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Immigrant Justice Center filing lawsuits in late March, arguing that the terminations violate due process and the Administrative Procedure Act. Judge Tigar’s ruling aligns with these arguments, emphasizing that the government cannot broadly strip legal status without individual assessments, a decision that echoes similar judicial pushback against Trump’s immigration policies during his first term.
The ruling comes amid heightened tensions over the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown, which includes controversial deportation flights to El Salvador and a proposal to send American criminals to Central American prisons. On April 14, President Trump meets with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office, where Trump urges Bukele to build more prisons to accommodate “homegrown criminals,” specifically targeting “the most violent repeat offenders” among U.S. citizens for potential transfer to facilities like El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). Press Secretary Leavitt clarifies on April 15 that this policy would apply only to a select group of violent offenders, though legal experts question its constitutionality, citing prohibitions against banishment and the lack of jurisdiction over U.S. citizens in foreign prisons. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, condemn the idea as “pure nonsense,” arguing it undermines the U.S. justice system.
The Oval Office meeting also reignites debate over the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, despite a 2019 court order granting him protection from deportation due to threats of persecution by the Barrio 18 gang. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous 9-0 ruling on April 10, orders the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return, rejecting the administration’s claim that it lacks authority to retrieve him from Salvadoran custody. However, Bukele, during the April 14 meeting, refuses to release Abrego Garcia, calling him a “terrorist” and stating, “We’re not very fond of releasing terrorists,” a stance that aligns with the Trump administration’s narrative despite court findings. Attorney General Pam Bondi, present at the meeting, interprets “facilitate” narrowly, arguing it means removing domestic obstacles rather than securing his release, and insists Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang—a claim his lawyers and multiple judges have dismissed for lack of evidence.
A status hearing on Abrego Garcia’s case takes place today, April 15, in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, where Judge Paula Xinis demands updates on the administration’s efforts to comply with the Supreme Court’s order. Xinis, who previously labels the deportation “wholly lawless” on April 4, expresses frustration with the Justice Department’s lack of transparency, noting at a hearing on April 11 that the government has “done nothing” to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return despite daily reporting requirements. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, vows to travel to El Salvador by mid-week if Abrego Garcia is not released, having sent a letter to the Salvadoran ambassador on April 13 requesting a meeting with Bukele. Van Hollen, speaking to reporters on April 14, calls the case a “troubling moment” for the rule of law, asserting, “It took them only 72 hours to illegally abduct Abrego Garcia and take him out of the country to El Salvador. They can get him back in 72 hours or less, and they need to do that now.”
The Trump administration’s immigration policies have a contentious history, dating back to his first term when policies like the 2018 family separation initiative and the 2020 invocation of Title 42 to expel migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic draw widespread criticism and legal challenges. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump intensifies his deportation efforts, enlisting personnel from the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and other agencies to increase ICE arrests from a few hundred per day to 1,200–1,500. The administration also sends migrants to Guantánamo Bay Naval Base to expand detention capacity and suspends refugee resettlement programs, ending humanitarian protections for about 350,000 Venezuelans. These actions face significant pushback, with 22 states, plus D.C. and San Francisco, suing over Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, and advocacy groups challenging the use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members without due process.
The Abrego Garcia case emerges as a flashpoint in this broader crackdown. Abrego Garcia, who enters the U.S. in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang violence, lives legally in Maryland with his U.S. citizen wife and children, working as a sheet metal apprentice. Despite a 2019 immigration judge’s order barring his deportation to El Salvador, ICE arrests him on March 12, 2025, and deports him three days later alongside 238 Venezuelans and 23 Salvadorans, many of whom the administration labels as gang members. The U.S. pays Bukele’s government $6 million to detain these deportees in CECOT, a facility known for its harsh conditions. Abrego Garcia’s family, supported by advocacy groups, files a lawsuit, leading to Judge Xinis’ initial order on April 4 for his return by April 7—a deadline paused by the Supreme Court on April 7 before its final ruling on April 10.
Breaking news updates as of 12:51 PM PDT on April 15 reveal that today’s hearing in Maryland results in Judge Xinis ordering the Justice Department to provide a detailed plan by April 17 for Abrego Garcia’s return, threatening sanctions for non-compliance. Meanwhile, posts on X reflect growing public frustration, with users like @tammytabby noting the broader implications of the deportation ruling for humanitarian protections, while others criticize the administration’s defiance of court orders. The intersection of these cases highlights a critical juncture in U.S. immigration policy, with the Trump administration’s aggressive stance clashing with judicial oversight and raising questions about due process, international cooperation, and the future of humanitarian programs in the U.S.
Sources:
- Video: [Judge: Trump Admin Can’t Revoke Legal Status Of Certain Migrants]
- Web sources: nbcnews.com, politico.com, npr.org, reuters.com, washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, cbsnews.com, bbc.com, theguardian.com, independent.co.uk, pbs.org, abcnews.go.com
- Posts on X reflecting public sentiment and updates
