III. Prior Policies
Past policies on this topic include a Memorandum from James Chaparro, ICE Director of Detention and Removal Operations, titled Detention of Refugees Admitted Under INA § 207 Who Have Failed to Adjust to Lawful Permanent Resident Status (May 10, 2010) (Chaparro Memorandum).
Under those policies:
Failure by a refugee to obtain LPR status, by itself, was not treated as a basis for removal and was not considered a proper basis for detention.
If an unadjusted refugee was arrested, DHS was required, within 48 hours, to either: (1) release the individual or (2) initiate removal proceedings by issuing a Notice to Appear. If it became apparent earlier that no ground of inadmissibility or deportability applied, the individual was to be promptly released.
IV. Rescission
DHS rescinded the Chapparo Memorandum on December 18, 2025.2 While ICE believes the December rescission is valid, DHS has undertaken a fresh look at the past policies and rescinds them anew. For the reasons stated below, we rescind the Chaparro Memorandum and any other policies that conflict with the policies stated in this memorandum.
Even though refugees CANNOT apply for green cards until one year after arrival, DHS now claims that the 1980 Refugee Act actually *requires* ICE to “detain and inspect” refugees who don’t have a green card at year one.
Reaching this conclusion required overturning decades-old interpretations.
19.02.2026 16:03
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CONCLUSION
It is important to note that this Order does not affect USCS's responsibility to
conduct reinspections to adjust refugees' status to lawful permanent resident. In
Minnesota, USCIS may continue this statutory process but without arresting and
detaining refugees.
The Order also does not impact DHS's lawful enforcement of
immigration laws.
This Order is temporary until the Court has had the opportunity to
have full briefing and argument on a motion for a preliminary injunction.
It is also essential to emphasize that the refugees impacted by this Order are
carefully and thoroughly vetted individuals who have been invited into the United States
because of persecution in the countries from which they have come. They are not
committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border. 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 Court expects that this Order will be complied with in all respects.
The judge emphasized the stakes: “Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States … 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.
28.01.2026 23:25
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HUGE news! This is about a Trump admin effort to arrest thousands of screened and vetted refugees in Minnesota and fly them to Texas to be jailed and then interrogated.
After the interrogation is over, people are being dumped on the street and told to find their own way back.
28.01.2026 23:16
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Minneapolis Live Updates: Judge Says ICE Violated Nearly 100 Court Orders
Judge orders release of Minnesota refugees targeted in ICE crackdown: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
29.01.2026 02:26
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This judge says:
- refugees must be released in the next 5 days
- Returned to Minnesota. Not released onto the streets of Texas, which is what's been happening.
- ICE must alert the refugees' lawyers so they aren't released into dangerous cold without someone to meet them
28.01.2026 23:07
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REAKING: A federal judge in Minnesota has barred the Trump administration from arresting / detaining the state's 5,600 refugees while they await lawful permanent resident status. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
28.01.2026 22:55
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Judge in Minnesota issues blistering ruling to block Trump Admin. from detaining refugees awaiting resident status:
"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"
28.01.2026 23:04
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They ‘Had Done Everything Right.’ ICE Detained Them Anyway.
They ‘Had Done Everything Right.’ ICE Detained Them Anyway. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...
26.01.2026 21:29
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We are open: please wait for us to unlock the door. Thank you for your understanding
this is what it has come to for Mexican restaurants in the Twin Cities
19.01.2026 02:11
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“Civil rights advocates are protesting the arrests of lawfully resettled refugees as part of the Trump administration’s widening mass detention and deportation campaign.
Federal immigration agents have arrested dozens of refugees who were cleared by extensive security screenings before being”
16.01.2026 23:19
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This is heartbreakingly cruel and hypocritical. The same admin that has redefined refugee status to cover white South Africans is now going to drown thousands of refugees already approved for their status in red tape, potentially even seeking to strip some of their status and deport them.
25.11.2025 02:46
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@mennonitesusa.bsky.social
20.11.2025 17:58
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It would be amazing to have flights from Lancaster to and from Philly and Chicago!
04.09.2025 21:56
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It would be amazing to have flights from Lancaster to and from Philly and Chicago!
04.09.2025 21:56
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In recent years, people in Myanmar have endured a military coup, civil war, enforced conscription, aerial bombardment and a devastating earthquake. A new hardship landed Thursday morning, as President Trump ordered a sweeping travel ban that included the citizens of Myanmar.
05.06.2025 22:24
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White South Africans: Refugees of Convenience
I worked on refugee policy under Trump. Now, even the lies aren't subtle.
Trump’s “refugee” policy:
White South Africans in.
Afghan interpreters out.
Persecuted Christians ignored. I saw this playbook up close. It’s not protection. It’s propaganda.
13.05.2025 11:33
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