Photo courtesy of colourbox.com

MIAMI – The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a big victory in his bid to deport migrants currently enrolled in a humanitarian parole program that allowed them to work and live temporarily in the U.S for humanitarian or public interest reasons.

The highest court in the nation overturned a lower court’s decision which temporarily halted Trump’s executive order to end former President Biden-era program which gave protection from deportation for over 500,000 migrants from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

They were granted permission to reside in the U.S. for two years if they are backed by a financial sponsor which also created a pathway to asylum.

But Trump revoked the program as part of his massive illegal immigration crackdown operation that has so far deported over 50,000 undocumented immigrants since his return to the White House.

With the Supreme Court’s decision, the migrants have no other alternatives; they must either self-deport or be forced back to their home countries by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court was a last-ditch effort to spare migrants from deportation, saying returning them to their home countries during turmoil wasn’t safe.

But the ruling was a devastating blow, especially to South Florida which is home to one of the largest populations from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court following a Boston federal judge’s decision to block the end of the program.

The court has sided against Trump in other cases, including slowing his efforts to swiftly deport Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act.

Broward County U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian American woman in Congress, denounces the Supreme Court’s decision to end the humanitarian parole program.
“This ruling isn’t just a blow to the rights and safety of these legal immigrants—it’s also a direct attack on South Florida’s economy,” the Democrat said in a statement. “This reckless measure threatens our economy by failing to allocate funds for training Americans for these jobs. “Taking away their legal status and work permits will not only devastate families—it will weaken our local economy and disrupt essential services.”

Miami-Dade County Commission Marleine Bastien, a Haitian American, said she was devastated over the Supreme Court’s decision that now paves the way for deportation.
“As a County Commissioner in a community shaped and strengthened by immigrants, I strongly oppose this decision and reaffirm my unwavering commitment to fight for dignity, justice, and a lawful path forward for all immigrants,” she said in a statement. “As a lifelong advocate for immigrant rights, I know firsthand the fear, trauma, and disruption this ruling will bring to families—not just across the nation, but right here in Miami-Dade County. These are our neighbors, coworkers, and friends—mothers and fathers, students and small business owners, essential workers—who have built their lives in the United States and contributed immeasurably to the economy and cultural fabric of our communities.”