Trump Administration Orders Detention of Legal Refugees Without Green Cards

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a memorandum on February 18, 2026, authorizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and detain legal refugees who have not secured lawful permanent resident status, or green cards, within one year of entering the United States. The policy requires these individuals to return to federal custody for inspection and examination to screen for national security risks, fraud, and public safety. This directive rescinds 2010 guidance that prohibited detaining refugees for failing to adjust their status.

Government officials defend the measure as a legal requirement to prevent fraudulent claims and standardize vetting. The policy coincides with a broader crackdown, including a reduction of the annual refugee admission ceiling from 125,000 to 7,500 and a proposed regulation on February 20 to restrict work permits for asylum seekers to deter meritless applications.

The order has faced immediate legal challenges. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis temporarily blocked the government from targeting approximately 5,600 refugees in Minnesota under a similar initiative known as Operation PARRIS, which had already seen at least 100 refugees arrested and sent to Texas. Advocacy groups, including HIAS and the International Refugee Assistance Project, have condemned the policy as an unlawful betrayal of people the United States lawfully admitted and promised protection.