US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston sided with people who were already admitted to the United States but were unable to renew their short-term permits.
They cover parole policies that benefited Afghans, Ukrainians, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and children from Central American countries trying to join their parents in the US, among others.
Talwani, who was appointed by then-president Barack Obama, said two orders by Department of Homeland Security officials to suspend renewals pending further review were unlikely to survive a legal challenge.
One of the orders “gives no reasoned explanation” for the actions, she wrote.
“The pause has now been in place for three months; the pause is, in effect, an indefinite suspension,” she wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (AP) ARI