'Another blow': Bay Area advocates react to Supreme Court immigration parole ruling

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The nation's highest court has allowed the Trump administration to proceed with plans to strip humanitarian protections from more than 500,000 immigrants.

The Supreme Court's action exposes migrants from four countries, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, to potential deportation.

Bay Area immigrant rights groups say the ruling will have ripple effects and raises questions about what legal protections remain for those who had received parole.

"This was another blow to our immigrant community," said Jeremy Barousse of Amigos De Guadalupe. "Humanitarian parole has been a part of federal immigration law for decades, and today's Supreme Court decision really upends immigrant families."

Huy Tran, executive director of SIREN, said the decision impacting more than 530,000 immigrants was jarring but not all too unexpected.

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"Disbelief. But also, like not surprised - the environment that we're in right now. It feels like every other day there's some dramatic action being happening," Tran said. "But I don't want to take away from the scale of what just happened, right? We're talking about half a million people who had legal status here in the country who now are on their way to be actually becoming undocumented."

The ruling lifted a lower-court order that had kept the humanitarian parole program in place. The program allowed immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela the opportunity to enter the U.S. and legally work while their cases were being processed. The case will now return to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

"The decision today says, 'No it ends while the decision is being fought through the courts,'" said Immigration Attorney Hector Quiroga.

The decision comes just as the Department of Homeland Security released a list of sanctuary jurisdictions across the country, including nearly every city and county in the Bay Area.

"Our leaders made the intention of decision to become sanctuary cities because of the simple fact that immigrants are a part of our community," said Tran.

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In a statement, the city of Mountain View which was on the list, said:

"The City of Mountain View is committed to being a "Community for All" and supports a safe community for all who live in Mountain View. We are aware that the City of Mountain View has been placed on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's list of "sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law." Immigration policy and enforcement is a federal government responsibility, and the Mountain View Police Department does not ask about immigration status of any crime victims, witnesses or other individuals who contact MVPD for help. The City is trying to learn what this designation may mean for the City including any financial impacts from the federal government."

Legal experts like Quiroga say the ruling brings uncertainty about what status parole recipients now hold and what legal protections may remain.

"It's changing day to day and it's difficult to navigate on their own. It's difficult for lawyers, it's difficult for the system. I think it's difficult even for the courts, really at this point, of how much change that is," Quiroga said.

The Trump administration has said the parole protections were always intended to be temporary and revocable by the Department of Homeland Security without judicial interference. Advocates say they'll be keeping a close eye on how the case continues to move through the courts.