In a scathing dissent, Miami-born Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson condemns the Supreme Court’s decision to lift protections for a humanitarian parole program — putting hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including Haitians, at risk of deportation.
By The Haitian Pulse Editorial Team
June 8, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
In a fiery and heartfelt dissent, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — a daughter of Miami’s public schools and a product of Harvard — took a powerful stand against what she calls a grave injustice: the Supreme Court’s decision to strip legal protections from nearly half a million immigrants under a humanitarian parole program. At the heart of that number are thousands of Haitians, now facing an uncertain and perilous future in the United States.
The Court’s ruling overturned a lower court’s injunction that had temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending the program. That injunction, which had offered a temporary shield from deportation, was lifted — and with it, the fragile safety net of immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti.
“The Court Has Botched This Completely” — Justice Jackson’s Warning
In her dissent, Justice Jackson did not mince words. She wrote that the Court’s decision “undervalues the devastating consequences of allowing the government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly a half million noncitizens while their legal claims are pending.”
Joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Jackson argued that allowing the Biden-era parole program to remain in place would have caused “next to nothing” in harm to the federal government — but the consequences for families would be catastrophic.
“This is not just about law; it’s about humanity,” Jackson wrote. “Either [the immigrants] confront danger in their home country or risk imminent removal. Either choice is unbearable. Yet, somehow, the Court has determined that the equity balance weighs in the government’s favor.”
For Many Haitians, It’s a Devastating Blow
The decision hits home hard for the Haitian community, which has long faced compounded struggles of political instability, gang violence, and economic collapse.
“We’re being pushed into a corner,” said Jean-Robert M., a Haitian father of three living in New York under parole status. “We fled for our lives, and now we’re told we may be sent back — not because we broke laws, but because our humanity has been placed second to bureaucracy.”
“This isn’t just politics — it’s a question of survival,” added Joseline L., a nursing student in Miami who arrived in 2023. “Justice Jackson saw us. Why can’t the others?”
A Miami Voice with National Weight
Justice Jackson’s unique background — growing up in Miami and graduating from Harvard — gives her dissent both emotional and intellectual force. Many see her as a voice of reason, and in this case, a last line of moral defense for communities left behind by sweeping federal decisions.
“Our decision to issue a stay involves more — much more — than merely forecasting the eventual victor,” Jackson wrote. “It is an equitable assessment of who will be harmed, and to what extent, during the litigation process.”
The Haitian Pulse's Take
As a platform committed to truth, justice, and the dignity of the Haitian people, we view this decision not just as a legal misstep, but as a moral failure. Once again, those who have fled danger and dared to hope are caught in a system that too often fails to see their humanity.
We echo Justice Jackson’s words — and her warning. The legal fight may continue, but for those at risk, time is a luxury they do not have.
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