US Judge blocks Trump administration from detaining Minnesota refugees

A US federal judge has temporarily barred the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota who are awaiting permanent resident status, ordering the release of those already in custody.

The ruling comes amid a sweeping federal crackdown in the Democratic-leaning state, which has seen thousands of immigration officers deployed and sparked public outrage following two civilian deaths linked to enforcement operations.

The Minnesota program, known as Operation PARRIS, aims to re-examine the legal status of approximately 5,600 refugees who have not yet received green cards.

In his order on Wednesday, US District Judge John Tunheim emphasized that while the administration may continue reviewing refugees’ legal status, it must do so “without arresting and detaining refugees.”

“Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to 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,” Tunheim wrote.

He added: “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.”

The order mandates the immediate release of any refugee currently detained under the Minnesota status review. Tunheim noted that these individuals have undergone extensive vetting and background checks, have permission to work, and were resettled in the United States according to federal procedures.

The ruling was quickly criticised by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump’s hardline immigration policies, who described the decision as “judicial sabotage of democracy” on X (formerly Twitter).