A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota, following a series of arrests under a 're-vetting' operation. More than 100 lawfully resettled refugees were arrested in recent weeks, with some flown to detention centres in Texas before being abruptly released and left to find their own way home.
US District Judge John R Tunheim ordered a temporary halt to the arrest and detention of lawfully resettled refugees while a lawsuit over the administration's 're-vetting' policy continues. He mandated the immediate release of all detained refugees in Minnesota and those taken to Texas within five days.
The ruling came after a class-action lawsuit was filed following the announcement of 'Operation Parris', described by the Department of Homeland Security as a sweeping initiative re-examining thousands of refugee cases. Some 5,600 refugees who had not yet become permanent residents were subject to this process.
One plaintiff, referred to as D Doe, said he was arrested at his home after being lured outside by a man claiming to have hit his car. He was detained in Minnesota, then flown to Texas for interrogation about his refugee status, before being released and having to find his own way back. His wife has since been afraid to leave their home.
Michele Garnett McKenzie of The Advocates for Human Rights called the detentions 'an unprecedented assault on core human rights'. She noted that refugees were often moved out of state within hours, leaving families scrambling to find them and obtain legal aid, and that many did not have immigration attorneys because they had already been vetted and legally resettled.
Judge Tunheim found that 'the threat of irreparable harm favors immediate relief', citing the 'stories of terror and trauma' recounted by the plaintiffs. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
