White House Grants ICE Power to Detain Refugees Indefinitely for Aggressive Rescreening
A new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo details a plan to allow federal immigration officers to detain legal refugees in the United States indefinitely for aggressive "rescreening." The Trump administration is moving to arrest thousands of people already legally admitted to the US as refugees and hold them in custody without a defined release date, according to a report published on Thursday.
Policy Reversal and Legal Contradictions
Under the new policy, DHS stated that federal immigration officers can and should arrest anyone who has not yet obtained the right to permanent residence, commonly known as a green card. These individuals will be subjected to interviews to reassess their refugee claims while they are in custody. This move reverses a 2010 Obama administration policy that deemed failure to apply for a green card within a year of admission insufficient grounds for arrest or detention.
The DHS action is particularly relevant to an ongoing case in Minneapolis, where a federal judge last month blocked the Trump administration from further arrests of settled refugees in Minnesota. The judge ordered the release of at least 100 more individuals arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In his order, District Court Judge John Tunheim criticized the detentions, emphasizing that refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, work, and live peacefully.
Operation Parris and Escalating Crackdown
Officials described "Operation Parris" as a sweeping initiative targeting approximately 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who had not yet become permanent residents. The operation involves re-examining thousands of refugee cases through new background checks and intensive verification of claims. The Wednesday DHS memo, also obtained by CNN, appears to directly contradict Judge Tunheim's order, arguing that existing "incomplete" guidance compels such arrests and detentions.
The memo asserts that when a refugee is admitted to the United States, the admission is conditional and subject to a mandatory review after one year. Detained refugees can remain in custody for the duration of the inspection and examination process, which could extend indefinitely.
Broader Immigration Context and Public Opinion
This development occurs amid an escalating immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. Recent reports indicate that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to spend an estimated $38.3 billion to purchase and retrofit warehouses across the country as detention centers for tens of thousands of people. Meanwhile, public approval of Donald Trump's handling of immigration issues has dropped to a new low of 38% in February, down from 44% in December, according to a Quinnipiac poll.
The poll followed the January killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents during protests against immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, highlighting the tense atmosphere surrounding immigration policies. DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new memo and its implications.
