Judge orders status restored for immigrants who entered US using CBP One app

Juan Carlos Chavez, Tampa Bay Times on Apr 1, 2026

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A federal judge in Boston has ordered the Trump administration to restore the legal status of immigrants who used the CBP One app to enter the U.S. through the southern border.

The decision by Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts, appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014, said in a 25-page opinion that the Department of Justice exceeded its authority and contradicted procedures established in its own regulations.

The Department of Homeland Security criticized the order, calling it “blatant judicial activism,” in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times.

“The Biden Administration abused the parole authority under the disastrous CBP One program to allow millions of illegal aliens into the U.S. which further fueled the worst border crisis in U.S. history,” read the statement. “Under federal law, DHS had full authority to revoke parole. Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect our national security.”

Introduced during the Biden administration, CBP One helped migrants schedule appointments at ports of entry for processing. Burroughs’ order protects people who obtained authorization to enter and stay in the country through the CBP One program and whose asylum cases remain active while their applications are being heard in immigration courts. The decision is likely to be appealed.

The order applied to individuals who used CBP One between May 2023 and January 2025 and who remain in the United States. More than 900,000 immigrants used CBP One, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They got work permits and received permission to stay in the country for up to two years.

The Department of Homeland Security canceled the app last year and introduced a new one called CBP Home in an effort to reduce immigration.

The new app has a self-deportation feature, allowing immigrants who are living in the United States without permanent legal status to initiate the process of voluntarily leaving the country.

“Use it now — or you will be found and deported with zero chance of returning," the agency posted on X.

The Trump administration also launched a massive $200 million global ad campaign urging those immigrants to leave.

The Department of Homeland Security said that immigrants who use CBP Home will be deprioritized for detention by immigration enforcement and receive travel assistance. Last year, the travel assistance was $1,000. In December, the sum increased to $3,000. Recently, it moved to $2,600. Aside from the cash, each deportee is afforded “the possibility they could one day return to the United States legally,” according to the department.

However, immigrants interviewed by the Tampa Bay Times said they chose to self-deport but never received the money. Activists and nonprofits also questioned the offer. They said the government has not clearly explained how the program operates within the immigration system.

There is no official data on how many immigrants left the country under CBP Home. But a New York Times analysis of federal data shows that about 40,000 people returned to their countries after signing up to “self-deport”.

The judge’s ruling came after the advocacy group Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, or VAM, filed a class-action lawsuit in August along with three migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti. They argued that the cancellation of the migrants’ status is not only illegal but also weakens communities and undermines trust in the legal system.

“This decision benefits thousands, including more than 20,000 VAM members who followed the rules,” the group said in a statement. “Justice responded. Together we are stronger.”