Washington DC - A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump wrongly ended the humanitarian parole program for hundreds of thousands of migrants to the US.

US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled that the Trump administration had unlawfully ended the short-term permits of migrants and begun conducting mass deportations of people who were legally in the US.

Orders made by the Department of Homeland Security to suspend permit renewals were made while giving "no reasoned explanation" and, despite originally being termed a "pause," were effectively "an indefinite suspension," Talwani ruled.

As a result of the ruling, those claiming humanitarian parole will be able to resume applications for asylum and temporary protected status. In addition, initial applications and re-parol applications must now be processed.

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The humanitarian parole system was introduced by former President Joe Biden and has assisted more than half a million people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ukraine, and elsewhere to seek asylum in the US.

"Our clients and class members are essential coworkers, life partners, and family members to others in the United States," said Karen Tumlin, founder and director of Justice Action Center, in response to Talwani's ruling.

"They deserve to be treated like anyone else when it comes to pursuing other forms of status," she said. "We're grateful that the judge restored fairness and accountability for these communities."

Anwen Hughes, the director of legal strategy and refugee programs at Human Rights First, also expressed happiness about the news, saying that the ruling reaffirms that the US government "has a legal obligation to respect the rights of all humanitarian parole beneficiaries."

"We are pleased that the court has again rightly recognized the harm the government's arbitrary decision-making has inflicted on innocent people."