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BALTIMORE, MD (March 21, 2025) – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown 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 January 20, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive ordering directing DHS to end
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 brief filed in Doe v. Noem, Attorney General Brown 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.
“Humanitarian parole programs allow immigrants to start families, get jobs, and become valuable
members of our communities, all while ensuring that these new Marylanders follow our laws as their
applications for permanent residence are reviewed,” said Attorney General Brown. “By preserving
these pathways, we ensure that those who flee life-threatening dangers in their home countries can stay
here with their families and build a brighter future while awaiting a change in immigration status.”
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 Brown and 15 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 Maryland 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 Brown and the coalition explain in the brief 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 Brown in filing the brief are attorneys general of California, Connecticut, the
District of Columbia, Maine, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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