A federal judge appointed by former President Donald Trump has delivered a significant blow to immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, issuing a temporary order that blocks Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from arresting and detaining recently resettled refugees across the state.
Judge's Ruling Condemns 'Terror' Tactics Against Refugees
In a powerful ruling on Wednesday night, Minnesota District Judge John Tunheim commanded the administration to immediately release any detained refugees and return them to their homes in Minnesota. The order stems from a class-action lawsuit that accused ICE agents of "hunting" down refugees, arresting them without warrants at immigration check-ins, on their way to work or school, or even appearing at their doorsteps.
Judge Tunheim noted that the refugees involved in the case had been "carefully and thoroughly vetted" before being accepted into the United States through the Refugee Admissions Program. "They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border," he emphasized in his written opinion.
Legal Rights of Refugees Upheld
The judge firmly stated that refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, including the right to work, live peacefully, and importantly, "a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries."
In a particularly poignant passage, Judge Tunheim wrote: "At its best, America serves as a haven of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty. We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos."
Operation PARRIS Targets Minnesota's Refugee Community
The Trump administration launched Operation PARRIS earlier this month, an enforcement initiative that exclusively targeted Minnesota's 5,600 new refugees. While these individuals are legally present in the country, they have not yet obtained lawful permanent resident status.
According to the lawsuit, ICE officers have employed aggressive tactics against this community, with some refugees being shackled and transported to a detention center in Texas—more than 1,200 miles away from their Minnesota homes.
Plaintiffs' Claims of Arbitrary Detention
Lawyers representing the targeted refugees argued that their clients are not subject to any deportation orders and are not considered flight risks. Despite this, they have been detained or face imminent detention because Homeland Security officials "arbitrarily determined, without any rational basis or legal authority, to intimidate and terrorize the refugees of Minnesota."
The legal team suggested this operation was motivated by animus toward refugees admitted under President Joe Biden's administration, with particular focus on Somali immigrants whom President Trump has previously derided.
Broader Context of Immigration Policy Shifts
The ruling comes amid significant changes to the nation's refugee admissions program under the Trump administration. Last year, the president directed an overhaul of the program to study whether allowing refugees into the country served U.S. interests.
Key changes include:
- Prioritizing admissions for white South Africans
- Reducing the overall refugee admissions ceiling to just 7,500 annually, down from 125,000 in the previous fiscal year
Simultaneously, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is reviewing thousands of refugees who were lawfully admitted under the Biden administration, while Homeland Security officials have broadly canceled legal protections for approximately 1 million immigrants who entered the country during that period.
Minnesota's Somali Community Under Scrutiny
The Twin Cities area is home to roughly 80,000 people of Somali ancestry, the vast majority of whom are legal residents or American citizens. However, the Trump administration has focused enforcement efforts on the state, citing a series of fraud cases involving government programs where most defendants have roots in Somalia.
In a statement announcing Operation PARRIS, Homeland Security officials declared Minnesota "ground zero for the war on fraud," justifying the surge of officers into the state as part of a nationwide effort to deport millions of people.
The judge's order remains in effect while he considers a wider injunction against the enforcement operation, marking a significant judicial intervention in the administration's immigration enforcement strategies.
