Court Orders ICE To Stop Unlawful Arrest and Detention of Refugees
- Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2026
Media Contact:
IRAP | Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
The Advocates | Madeline Lohman | press@advrights.org
CHRCL | Sergio Perez | press@centerforhumanrights.org
Berger Montague | Amy Wall-Monte | awallmonte@bergermontague.com
Court Orders ICE To Stop Unlawful Arrest and Detention of Refugees
Federal Judge Grants Temporary Restraining Order Halting Operation PARRIS
Minneapolis, Minnesota – Today, a federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) preventing the Trump administration from arresting and detaining lawfully resettled refugees in Minnesota under Operation PARRIS while the case challenging the practice proceeds. The judge also ordered the immediate release of all detained refugees in Minnesota and the release of those taken to Texas within five days. The TRO was granted as part of a class action lawsuit filed by a group of refugees represented by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Berger Montague, and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL). The Advocates for Human Rights, a non-profit providing on-the-ground legal representation to impacted refugees in Minnesota, is an organizational plaintiff.
“For more than two weeks, refugees in Minnesota have been living in terror of being hunted down and disappeared to Texas,” said Kimberly Grano, Staff Attorney, U.S. Litigation at IRAP. “This Temporary Restraining Order will immediately put in place desperately-needed guardrails on ICE and protect resettled refugees from being unlawfully targeted for arrest and detention.”
The following is an excerpt from Judge Tunheim’s order:
“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. 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 lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration is illegally targeting lawfully present refugees in order to trigger a mass termination of refugee status, rendering them vulnerable to deportation. Since the announcement of Operation PARRIS on January 9, armed ICE agents have been going door to door arresting members of the Minnesota refugee community, including children and the elderly, and sending them to detention camps in Texas. Some were subjected to intense questioning, while others have remained imprisoned for over a week, many shuffled between facilities in shackles. Those who have been released were left on the streets of Texas, usually without money, identification, or any way to get home. The TRO will remain in place until briefing on a preliminary injunction is complete.
“We are glad that the Court put a stop to ICE’s campaign of terror against our refugee neighbors. Today’s ruling is an important win, and a reminder that our courts are a powerful check,” said E. Michelle Drake, Executive Shareholder at Berger Montague. “We’ll keep fighting for Minnesota’s refugee and immigrant communities. Minnesota has always welcomed refugees, who come here to escape persecution and build new lives.”
“Two weeks ago, armed ICE agents began imprisoning refugees who fled persecution, came here lawfully, and built a life in Minnesota,” said Sarah Kahn, Senior Staff Attorney, CHRCL. “Through this order, the judge recognized that this brutal and senseless practice is illegal and required that the government respect longstanding protections for refugees.”
"Operation PARRIS's scheme of detaining lawfully present refugees is an unprecedented assault on core human rights that are enshrined in both the 1951 Convention and the 1980 Refugee Act - rights that The Advocates is committed to protect,” said Michele Garnett McKenzie, Executive Director of The Advocates for Human Rights. "We are grateful the Court has stepped in on a temporary basis to stop the Government's attack on the refugee community, and we look forward to presenting our full case in the Court."
Additional Information
###
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there. www.refugeerights.org
The Advocates for Human Rights is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Advocates for Human Rights works in our home community and around the world to ensure access to immigration justice, end violence against women, abolish the death penalty, and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people. We are the Upper Midwest’s primary provider of free immigration legal services for people fleeing persecution, torture, and violence. www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Berger Montague is one of the nation’s preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions, and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. With more than $2.4 billion in 2025 post-trial judgments alone. The Firm is a leader in the fields of complex litigation, consumer protection, antitrust, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas. https://bergermontague.com/
The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) is a legal non-profit committed to protecting and advancing the rights of immigrants through legal action, advocacy, and education. Through impact litigation, we challenge unlawful immigration policies to drive systemic change and establish stronger legal protections for immigrants. At the local, state, and federal levels, we advocate for fair and humane policies that uphold the rights of all immigrants. https://www.centerforhumanrights.org/