Federal judge blocks refugee arrests in Minnesota

A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration measure ordering the detainment of refugees in Minnesota who are awaiting resolution of their permanent resident status, and ordered the immediate release of those who remain in detention.

The decision was issued Wednesday by District Judge John Tunheim, who ruled that while the administration can review the refugees' immigration status, it cannot arrest or detain them during that process, AFP confirmed.

The court order comes amid a sweeping immigration operation deployed this month in Minnesota, where the federal government sent thousands of immigration agents. The offensive has generated public outrage following the shooting deaths of two U.S. civilians by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Minneapolis, the main city in the Democratic-governed state.

Operation PARRIS

Federal authorities had initiated a program to reexamine the legal status of some 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who have not yet received permanent residency, known as a green card. Under that plan, dubbed Operation PARRIS, several refugees were detained while their files were being reviewed.

In his ruling, Tunheim stressed that refugees have a legal right to remain in the country while their immigration status is being resolved.

"Refugees have the legal right to be in the United States, the right to work, the right to live in peace - and, importantly, the right not to be subjected to the terror of arrest and detention without warrants or cause," the judge wrote.

The judge added that the United States abandons its fundamental values when it subjects lawfully admitted persons "to fear and chaos," even as they go about everyday activities such as attending religious services or buying groceries.

What does the injunction require?

The order requires that any refugee detained under status review in Minnesota be released immediately. Tunheim also noted that these individuals passed rigorous security checks, were approved by multiple federal agencies, have work permits and have been legally resettled in the country.

The court decision prompted an immediate reaction from the White House. Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, one of the main drivers of President Trump's hard-line immigration policy, called the ruling a "judicial sabotage of democracy" in a message posted on the social network X.

The ruling represents a new legal setback for the Trump administration's immigration strategy, which faces mounting judicial and political questioning over the scope and methods of its immigration enforcement operations.