In a significant legal move, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, along with a coalition of 16 attorneys general, has filed an amicus brief backing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) parole programs for vulnerable immigrants. This action comes in response to the Trump administration’s January 20, 2025, executive order that directed DHS to terminate these humanitarian parole initiatives.
The coalition is pushing for a preliminary injunction in the case of Doe v. Noem, aiming to block the administration’s order, which has already ceased the processing of new applications and has restricted current parolees from seeking other immigration statuses.
Attorney General Brown emphasized the critical role of humanitarian parole programs in allowing immigrants to integrate into communities by starting families and securing employment while their permanent residence applications are processed. He highlighted the plight of immigrants from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, who rely on these pathways due to severe conditions in their home countries.
The brief details the economic and social contributions of these immigrants, noting their significant roles in the workforce and their contributions to state and local taxes. The cessation of the parole pathways is argued to not only strip these economic benefits but also pose risks to public safety, increase costs, and cause potential family separations.
The states joining Maryland in this legal effort include California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maine, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. These states support the stance that ending the parole pathways would lead to detrimental social and economic consequences nationwide.
