Judge Blocking Trump’s Deportation Of Foreign Nationals Donated To Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren
The Democrat judge attempting to block President Donald Trump’s termination of a Biden-era immigration program previously donated to President Barack Obama and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s respective political campaigns, The Federalist has learned.
On Monday, District Court Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, issued a stay on the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate the legal status of approximately 530,000 foreign nationals allowed into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s CHNV parole program. According to Fox News, these noncitizens and their immediate family members originate from “Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.”
As noted by the outlet, “The program was temporarily paused after widespread fraud was found. Several recipients were also arrested for high-profile crimes, including multiple child rapes.”
In her ruling, Talwani justified her issuance of a stay by effectively arguing that the Trump administration must initiate a “case-by-case review” of each individual granted access to America under the program and cannot issue a blanket revocation of the enrolled individuals’ legal statuses and work permits.
“The Termination of Parole Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, 90 Fed. Reg. 13611 (Mar. 25, 2025), is hereby STAYED pending further court order insofar as it revokes, without case-by-case review, the previously granted parole and work authorization issued to noncitizens paroled into the United States pursuant to parole programs for noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (the ‘CHNV parole programs’) prior to the noncitizen’s originally stated parole end date,” Talwani wrote.
The Obama appointee signaled she would issue a stay in the case last week, according to the Associated Press.
While unsurprising given the president who nominated her, Talwani’s left-wing partisanship was evident well before her May 2014 confirmation by the U.S. Senate. In fact, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reviewed by The Federalist show that Talwani previously donated to several Democrat politicians and causes in the years before becoming a federal judge.
While working at a private law firm, for instance, Talwani made three donations totaling $350 (from 2011 to 2012) to the 2012 Senate campaign of now-Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
According to local Massachusetts media, Warren was the senator who recommended Talwani’s nomination for the judgeship she now holds. In a reported statement reacting to Talwani’s nomination, the Democrat senator praised Talwani and a Massachusetts-based district attorney also tapped for a federal judgeship by Obama for their “diverse professional backgrounds, strong ties to the community, and impressive legal careers.”
FEC records also show that Talwani made a $100 donation to Obama’s first presidential campaign in September 2008. The filings further indicate that Talwani made several donations to the Democratic National Committee from 2010 to 2011, which totaled $275.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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