U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani Faces Scrutiny Over CHNV Immigration Ruling

Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, is under fire from conservatives after blocking former President Trump’s effort to end the CHNV parole program, which grants temporary legal status to over 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Critics point to Talwani’s past Democratic campaign work for Obama and Elizabeth Warren, as well as her 2012 “Workers Justice Award” from the Chinese Progressive Association—a group with alleged ties to pro-Chinese Communist Party causes.

In her 41-page decision, Talwani ruled Trump lacked the authority to unilaterally end the program, stating doing so would disrupt families and lead to deportations. Trump supporters claim her political background casts doubt on judicial neutrality, while Democratic strategists warn against using extreme cases—like deported MS-13 members—as political talking points, urging a focus on civil rights instead.