- April 16, 2025
School to Host Private Graduation for Students Who Are Self-Deporting
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A high school in Vermont is preparing to host a private graduation ceremony for two Nicaraguan students who had planned to self-deport after losing their legal status under a humanitarian parole program.
The students, both seniors at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, faced an April 24 deadline to depart the country under a Trump administration directive.
Why It Matters
In March, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it would rescind legal protections granted since October 2022 to 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. These individuals had received two-year permits to live and work in the U.S. under a humanitarian parole program introduced by the Biden administration.
On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that she would block the Trump administration from terminating the program. The ruling represents a major—though potentially temporary—setback for the Trump administration as it seeks to overturn Biden-era policies that established new and expanded pathways allowing individuals to live and work in the United States.
What To Know
“At this time, the students are planning to depart the U.S. Before the students leave, the school plans to host a private graduation ceremony for them—they have earned enough credits to graduate and obtain their high school diplomas,” Tyler Cohen, a school spokesperson, told Newsweek.
The spokesperson declined to comment on how the two students and their families were responding to the potential policy changes following the judge’s ruling.
“These students are not political operatives,” school officials said in a letter to parents, faculty and staff. “They are not criminals. They are not threats. They are young people who have found safety and meaning in our community.”
The statement from the district, signed by Superintendent Adam Bunting and Board Chair Emily McLean, said the students had entered the United States legally and “followed the rules as expected.”
“To deport these students is not only heartbreaking for those of us who know them personally. It also contradicts the very values Vermonters work to instill in our young people,” the letter continued. “While we may not be able to shift federal policy in the next two weeks, we can at least show all of our young people that we care—and that we hope to do better.”
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s ruling to pause the order requiring more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to leave the country allows them to remain while the case moves forward. Their permits had been set to expire on April 24.
During the hearing, Talwani repeatedly challenged the government’s claim that it could terminate humanitarian parole for the four nationalities. Talwani said individuals in the program now faced the harsh choice of either “fleeing the country” or staying and “risk losing everything.”
President Donald Trump has been rolling back legal avenues for immigrants to enter the United States while following through on campaign pledges to deport millions of individuals living in the country without legal status. The administration has repeatedly urged immigrants to self-deport to avoid facing penalties.
What People Are Saying
Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, said in a statement: “These kids came to the U.S. and played by the book—they’re valued members of their community with bright futures here in Vermont. It’s cruel and my heart aches along with their school, friends, and loved ones.”
School officials said in a letter: “They’ve done what all teenagers do: tried to figure out who they are, where they belong, what they care about. And now, because of a shift in federal policy, their lives are being upended—again.”
Jeffrey Pascoe, a Vermont resident, said in a post on Facebook: “Imagine being a high school senior who has followed all the rules and suddenly being notified that you’re being deported—six weeks before graduation, a month before your senior prom, eight weeks before your summer job was supposed to start. Shameful.”
What Happens Next
It is not yet known when the private graduation ceremony is set to take place. The school continues to support the students as they await further legal developments.