OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a multistate coalition, filed an amicus brief in Svitlana Doe, et al., v. Kristi Noem, et al., in support of pathways to humanitarian parole that allow certain vulnerable immigrants to legally enter and remain in the United States to apply for temporary or permanent immigration status. Upon taking office, President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to terminate these pathways, jeopardizing the immigration status of Afghans who supported U.S. interests abroad; Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion; and Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries. In the brief, Attorney General Bonta and a multistate coalition argues the termination of these pathways would upend the lives of tens of thousands of lawfully present immigrants, tear communities and families apart, and deprive the states of the significant economic and social benefits these immigrants provide.   

“Since taking office, President Trump has waged war on immigrants who are in this country legally – American-born children, refugees displaced by war or disaster at home, individuals who have fled from political instability or violence, and those who provided assistance to the U.S. military at great personal risk,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The termination of pathways to secure temporary immigration status threatens to upend the lives of tens of thousands of immigrant families and to rob states like California of the vital economic and societal benefits these families provide. I respectfully urge the court to order the Trump Administration to restore these vital pathways for legal immigration while litigation continues.”

In response to various global humanitarian emergencies, the Biden Administration implemented the Uniting for Ukraine parole pathway to benefit Ukrainians fleeing the Russian war, as well as similar relief for those fleeing conditions in Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. The Biden Administration also implemented Operation Allies Welcome to lead and coordinate ongoing efforts across the federal government to support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan. At President Trump’s direction, the Department of Homeland Security abruptly stopped processing new applications for parole pathways and barred current parolees from applying for other forms of temporary or permanent immigration status earlier this year. 

Immigrant-led households in California paid $61.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2023 and spent $404.4 billion in their local economies. Immigrants made up nearly one-third of California’s labor force, holding 46.1% of healthcare aide jobs and 62.2% of agricultural jobs.

In the amicus brief, the multistate coalition argues that ending these parole pathways would harm California and other states, including by preventing these individuals from contributing positively to our workforces and growing our economies, especially in businesses and industries facing persistent labor shortages. The coalition also highlights the significant harms of forcing these individuals to return to dangerous, violent, and repressive conditions and the resulting separation of families with mixed immigration status.

Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of New York, Illinois, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin in filing the brief. 

A copy of the brief is available here.