A federal judge who recently blocked President Trump’s attempt to end an immigration parole program from the Biden era is drawing fresh scrutiny, not only for her ruling but also for her political background and ties to a controversial group linked to communist China.
Judge Indira Talwani, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Barack Obama in 2013, issued the decision halting the Trump administration’s move to terminate the CHNV program, which has provided temporary legal status to more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
As conservatives voice concerns over the ruling, newly surfaced records are shedding more light on Talwani’s political background, prompting fresh questions.
Public documents show that Talwani actively volunteered for at least four Democratic campaigns, including those of Deval Patrick, Barack Obama, Martha Coakley, and Elizabeth Warren. Her involvement included holding signs, door-knocking, and phone banking, with efforts specifically aimed at supporting Obama’s 2008 presidential bid and Warren’s 2012 Senate campaign.
Natalie Winters of the National Pulse and Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast noted Monday that the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) “has deep ties to the CCP,” and was founded by individuals with Maoist backgrounds. One of its founders, Fay Wong, even described the Chinese Communist revolution as “very inspiring.”
These revelations resurface as Talwani faces renewed scrutiny over her past connection to the CPA, an organization with documented sympathies toward the Chinese Communist Party.
In 2012—just a year before her judicial nomination—Talwani accepted the CPA’s “Workers Justice Award,” an honor she continues to list among her official credentials.
In a 41-page opinion issued Monday, Talwani effectively halted the rollback of the CHNV parole program. The Biden-era initiative permits nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to remain in the U.S. for up to two years, provided they pass background checks and have U.S.-based sponsors.
“If their parole status is allowed to lapse, Plaintiffs will be faced with two unfavorable options: continue following the law and leave the country on their own, or await removal proceedings,” Talwani wrote. “For some Plaintiffs, leaving will also cause family separation.”
Talwani’s judicial record has often reflected progressive stances, particularly on labor and immigration matters. Her past involvement in Democratic campaigns also has intensified concerns among Trump supporters who argue the judiciary is being used as a political tool.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security, under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem, has already started reversing other Biden-era protections, including the removal of Temporary Protected Status for migrants from countries like Afghanistan and Cameroon.
On Tuesday, Trump offered praise for El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele following the latter’s official state visit to the U.S. on Monday, noting that the foreign leader’s approach to violent crime has made his country much safer.
Specifically, Trump was referring to Bukele’s construction of a number of ultra-modern, high-security prisons, one of which – a facility known as CECOT- is being used to house dangerous MS-13 gang members who have been deported from the United States.
In an interview with Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy, wife of former Fox News host and current Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Trump appeared to suggest that his administration was looking into using El Salvadoran prisons to house dangerous “homegrown” criminals, perhaps American citizens.
“We are using [President Bukele’s] system because we’re getting rid of our criminals out of the United States,” Trump told Campos-Duffy.
She responded: “Could we use it for our own violent criminals?”
“I call them homegrown criminals… We are looking into it, and we want to do it,” Trump said.