Trump Admin Hit With Court Order Over Refugee Detentions

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from arresting and detaining legal refugees in Minnesota, ruling that the government lacked lawful authority to hold people who were legally present in the United States and not accused of any crime.

The order delivers an immediate blow to a recent immigration enforcement push and forces the Department of Homeland Security to release refugees already in custody.

In a sharply worded temporary restraining order, US District Judge John Tunheim said refugees targeted under the policy were ‘not committing crimes on our streets’ and ‘did not illegally cross the border’. He added that refugees have a legal right to live and work in the US without being subjected to arrest and detention without cause.

Court Blocks DHS Detentions and Orders Releases

The ruling bars the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS from detaining legal refugees in Minnesota under the challenged policy.

The court ordered DHS to ‘return and release’ all refugees currently detained in the state, including those who were initially held in Minnesota and later transferred elsewhere.

Judge Tunheim also imposed tight compliance deadlines. DHS must identify all refugees detained under the policy within 48 hours and file a public status update within seven days detailing their release.

Most filings in the case remain under seal, but the court said immediate relief was necessary to prevent ongoing harm.

Policy Targeted Thousands of Lawfully Present Refugees

Earlier this year, DHS and USCIS began re-examining the legal status of roughly 5,600 refugees living in Minnesota as part of a broader immigration crackdown.

The effort focused on refugees who had not yet adjusted their status to permanent residence after one year in the US, a routine administrative step that many complete later due to backlogs.

Refugees sued the government through a habeas corpus petition, arguing they were being detained despite not being charged with any ground of removability. A Minneapolis-based human rights group later joined the case and sought emergency court intervention.

Judge Rejects Government’s Detention Argument

At the heart of the dispute was the government’s reading of a provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1159. The Trump administration argued that language requiring refugees to ‘return or be returned to the custody’ of DHS after one year allowed for mandatory detention.

The court rejected that interpretation, finding the statute authorises inspection and examination only, not prolonged detention.

Citing DHS guidance, Judge Tunheim noted that the inspection process should take about 48 hours. He warned that the government’s reading would lead to an ‘illogical’ outcome in which every refugee could face jail simply for reaching a one-year anniversary in the US.

Legal Claims and Broader Implications

While the lawsuit raises claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, the judge relied heavily on the Immigration and Nationality Act itself to block the policy.

He found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in showing DHS lacked statutory authority to detain unadjusted refugees who were otherwise lawfully present.

The order stops enforcement of the policy in Minnesota for now, but the case could have wider implications for refugee treatment nationwide if the reasoning is adopted elsewhere.

For the moment, DHS must comply with the court’s release orders as the litigation continues, marking a significant legal setback for the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

Originally published on IBTimes UK