Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul and New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) parole pathways for certain vulnerable immigrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries.
On Jan. 20, the Trump administration issued an executive ordering directing DHS to terminate humanitarian parole programs. As a result, DHS stopped processing new applications for parole pathways and barred current parolees from applying for other forms of temporary or permanent immigration status. In their amicus brief, Raoul 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.
“I am the proud son of Haitian immigrants who, like so many immigrants, worked diligently to better their community,” Raoul said. “Immigrants have long been the backbone of the United States, and we are a country that provides safe harbor to those fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries, whether they come from Haiti, Ukraine, or other countries. Those individuals are key contributors to our state and national economies, and I am committed to standing with my fellow attorneys general to protect processes that provide permanent residence to immigrants working for a better life.”
Afghans who have supported U.S. interests abroad at the expense of their own safety; Ukrainians displaced due the devastation caused by Russia’s ongoing invasion; and Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries all rely on the parole process as they work toward permanent residence. Raoul and the attorneys general explain these immigrants are vital members of the workforce, pay substantial sums in state and local taxes, and wield significant spending power. Ending the parole pathways would deprive communities in Illinois and across the nation of substantial economic and social contributions, increase costs and threaten public safety.
Parole pathways allow newly-arrived immigrants to remain in the United States and join the workforce while their request for permanent residence is under review. In 2023, for example, immigrant-led households in Illinois paid $10.6 billion in state and local taxes, wielded $68.5 billion in spending power and made up 18.5% of the labor force.
Additionally, Raoul and the coalition explain in the amicus that shutting down parole pathways, which would both terminate 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 Attorneys General Raoul and James in the filing of the amicus are attorneys general of California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
