Attorney General James Co-Leads Coalition to Protect Vulnerable Immigrants

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today co-led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) humanitarian parole programs, or parole pathways, for vulnerable immigrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries. On January 20, the Trump administration issued an Executive Order directing DHS to terminate humanitarian parole programs. As a result, DHS stopped processing new applications for parole pathways and stopped adjudicating current parolees’ applications for other forms of temporary or permanent immigration status. In their amicus brief filed in Doe v. Noem, Attorney General James and the coalition urge the court to grant a preliminary injunction to halt the Trump administration’s actions, which have upended the lives of tens of thousands of legal immigrants and threaten to tear communities and families apart.

“Vulnerable immigrants fleeing violence deserve protection, families seeking stability deserve to be kept together, and new Americans seeking better opportunities deserve to be able to contribute to local economies throughout the nation,” said Attorney General James. “The parole pathways programs help address all of these issues, and ending them would force vulnerable people to return to dangerous conditions and would leave thousands of businesses without workers. My office is leading a coalition of attorneys general to fight for these programs and protect vulnerable communities.” 

Parole pathways allow newly arrived immigrants to temporarily remain in the United States and join the workforce. Many parolees apply for and receive other forms of immigration status. Immigrants who have relied on the parole pathways include Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Afghans, and Ukrainians. The coalition explains in their brief that these immigrants are vital members of the workforce, pay substantial sums in state and local taxes, and wield significant spending power. In New York, immigrants made up 27.8 percent of the labor force in 2023 and held 75.1 percent of home health aide jobs and 67.7 percent of housekeeping jobs. Ending parole pathways would deprive New York and other states of substantial economic and social contributions, increase costs, and threaten public safety.

Attorney General James and the coalition explain in the amicus brief that shutting down parole pathways, which would both threaten current parolees’ status and foreclose future applications, would separate families, prevent family reunification, and put current parolees at immediate risk of removal to countries with exceptionally dangerous living conditions.

Joining Attorney General James in filing today’s amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

Attorney General James is a national leader in protecting vulnerable communities and defending the rule of law from unjust attacks by the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Attorney General James led a coalition of attorneys general to defend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. In February, Attorney General James won a court order to uphold birthright citizenship after joining a lawsuit to stop President Trump’s unconstitutional executive order. In January, Attorney General James called for expanding TPS for Haitians and other vulnerable communities who are fleeing violence and other catastrophes abroad.