On Wednesday, a US federal judge ordered the release of refugees detained by President Donald Trump’s administration while they awaited permanent residence status in Minnesota.
As part of a broad crackdown that has caused anger over two civilian fatalities at the hands of authorities, Trump has dispatched thousands of federal immigration officials to the Democratic state.
This month, authorities started a program to review the legal status of some 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who have not yet received green cards.
US District Judge John Tunheim stated in his ruling on Wednesday that the Trump administration may keep reviewing refugees’ status and enforcing immigration rules, but it must do so “without arresting and detaining refugees.”
According to Tunheim, “refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live in peace—and most importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes, on their way to religious services, or to buy groceries.”
Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and the head of Trump’s strict immigration strategy, swiftly criticized the directive.
Miller wrote on X, “The judicial sabotage of democracy is unending.”
According to Tunheim’s ruling, any refugee held under Operation PARRIS, the Minnesota status review, must be “immediately released from custody.”
According to Tunheim, refugees who are awaiting permanent residence status “have undergone rigorous background checks and vetting, been approved by multiple federal agencies for entry, been given permission to work, received support from the government, and been resettled in the United States.”
“These people were granted entry, have complied with the regulations, and are awaiting their status to be changed to that of lawful permanent residents of the United States.”
