The Biden administration has declined to appeal a decision from last week that blocks a key Department of Homeland Security program that has helped the agency relieve migrant congestion at the U.S. southern border.
U.S. District Judge Kent Wetherell II, a Florida-based judge appointed by former President Donald Trump, issued the 109-page opinion last week, blaming President Joe Biden for the country’s border crisis and giving the government a week to appeal — a deadline that passed on Wednesday.
The parole program, called “parole + ATD,” has allowed DHS to release tens of thousands of migrants into the country while they await immigration proceedings. DHS will now have to provide migrants full “Notices to Appear” instead of resorting to other alternatives to detention.
