U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, appointed by President Obama in 2013, is under scrutiny after blocking former President Trump’s attempt to end the CHNV immigration parole program, which allows temporary legal status for over 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Critics, particularly conservatives, are questioning not just her ruling but also her political affiliations and ties to the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), an organization with reported links to pro-Chinese Communist Party causes. In 2012, Talwani accepted the CPA’s “Workers Justice Award,” which she still lists among her credentials.

Newly surfaced documents reveal Talwani volunteered for multiple Democratic campaigns, including those of Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren, doing grassroots work like canvassing and phone banking.In her recent 41-page ruling, Talwani argued that Trump lacked the authority to reverse Biden’s expansion of the CHNV program, saying its termination would force migrants to either self-deport or face removal proceedings—potentially separating families.

Her decision and political history have fueled concerns among Trump supporters who believe the judiciary is being politicized. Meanwhile, Democrats are being urged not to make a deported MS-13 gang member a political symbol, with strategist Mo Elleithee advising the party to focus instead on protecting civil rights.