Immigration Law

Keeping Families Together Program Vacated by Federal Judge

ALERT: On November 7, 2024, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in State of Texas v. Department of Homeland Security, Case Number 24-cv-306 (E.D.T.X. Nov. 7, 2024) issued a final judgment vacating the Keeping Families Together (KFT) parole process.

Effective immediately, USCIS is taking the following steps to comply with the Court’s Order:

  • Pending Form I-131F applications will not be adjudicated and intake of new Form I-131F applications will cease.
  • Anyone with a future Application Support Center appointment in support of a filed Form I-131F should consider that appointment cancelled immediately. Anyone who appears for such an appointment will be turned away.
  • External engagements on the KFT parole process are cancelled.

In the coming days, USCIS will publish additional information on how it will handle pending cases and paid application fees.  This is in response to the November 7, 2024, decision from a Texas federal judge that found that Texas and other states had standing to challenge the Keeping Families Together program and vacated the program for certain spouses of U.S. citizens as unlawful.