PRESS RELEASE 

For immediate release 

August 4, 2025

Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278

Chicago, IL - Alianza Americas commends the courts for exercising their constitutional duty to limit the Trump Administration’s discriminatory and unlawful immigration actions. On Friday, August 1, a federal judge in Washington halted the Trump Administration's actions aimed at expeditiously removing hundreds of thousands of people who entered the United States under the humanitarian parole program, which allowed people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the country after they filed an application, along with a sponsor in the United States. The four nationalities were designated because of the conditions of violence and political instability in their countries of origin. After arriving in the U.S., individuals could apply for asylum or a work permit. However, in March of this year, the government ended the program, terminating their two-year authorization to remain in the country and their work permits. The judge ruled that the administration had no reason to change the conditions of the permit, and apprehend them when they were attending court or seeking legal representation.

That same day, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a court order that found that the government was carrying out immigration enforcement actions based on criteria such as a person's appearance, how they speak, where they live, and where they work, ordering the actions to be suspended. In fact, citizens and people in regular immigration status have also been apprehended in these immigration actions. The panel of judges determined that the arrests are occurring without reasonable suspicion, and that since they are part of a pattern of officially permitted conduct, it was possible that they could occur again, so the Court was compelled to intervene. The next hearing in the case will be in September.

These two judicial decisions demonstrate the role of the judiciary in stopping arbitrary and illegal actions committed by government officials. The system of checks and balances is fundamental to protect people's rights. The independence of the judiciary is essential to a country's democracy. Alianza Americas recognizes and commends the political leaders and organizations that have brought and litigated these actions. When the administration establishes quotas for the persecution or arrest of immigrants, when it arbitrarily terminates the conditions of permits to enter and remain in the country, and when it arrests people because of their skin color, their accent, or the place where they work or live, it is acting unconstitutionally and illegally. The rule of law will be defended by all of us who know that democracy is cared for and protected, and that even democratically elected powers have limits.

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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity and human rights in the Americas.

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