Attorney General Charity Clark today joined 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 filed in Doe v. Noem, Attorney General Clark 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.
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 parole pathways as they work toward permanent residence. Attorney General Clark and the other 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 parole pathways would deprive communities in Vermont and across the nation of substantial economic and social contributions, increase costs and threaten public safety.
Parole pathways allow newly-arrived immigrants to temporarily remain in the United States and join the workforce while their request for permanent residence is under review. Many parolees apply for and receive other forms of immigration status.
Additionally, Attorney General Clark 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 Attorney General Clark in the filing of the amicus are attorneys general of California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
A copy of the amicus brief is available to read here.
CONTACT: Amelia Vath, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, 802-828-3171