Minnesota Federal Judge Blocks ICE Plan to Detain Refugees

A Minnesota federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting or detaining refugees in the state.

Any refugees who have already been detained must be immediately released, Judge John R. Tunheim of the US District Court for the District of Minnesota said granting a temporary restraining order. He granted relief on a class-wide basis but deferred certifying the class for further briefing.

“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 said.

The judge emphasized that the refugees impacted by the 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.”

The ruling comes amid increased turmoil and scrutiny of ICE’s broader deportation strategy and the shootings of two civilians.

The refugees sued the administration after they were detained by ICE and alleged DHS and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services “Operation Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening” program violated federal statute and longstanding agency practice.

The program’s stated purpose is to reexamine refugee cases with an initial focus on 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who haven’t yet received permanent residency status.

Tunheim said the refugees were likely to succeed on the merits.

“Federal statutes governing refugees and immigrant detention do not permit prolonged detention of unadjusted refugees who have not been charged with any ground of removability,” the judge said.

Tunheim also said the threat of irreparable harm favors immediate relief because the named plaintiffs recounted stories of terror and trauma from their arrests.

Additionally, DHS and ICE “hurriedly transported detained refugees” to faraway facilities “often without the ability to communicate with counsel, family, or the community,” Tunheim said.

The balance of harms also weighed in the refugees’ favor because while the government has a strong interest in enforcing immigration laws, it doesn’t have a public interest in perpetuating unlawful agency action, Tunheim said.

“The Government’s need to enforce a resource-intensive Refugee Detention Policy by arresting refugees likely interferes with the lawful need to enforce serious violations of immigration laws,” Tunheim added.

The temporary relief was granted to the proposed class of all individuals with refugee status in Minnesota who don’t have permanent resident status and who haven’t been charged with any ground for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The order also requires DHS and ICE to work with the plaintiffs’ counsel to ensure detainees aren’t left in the cold due to severe winter weather.

The refugees are represented by Berger Montague PC.

The case is U.H.A. v. Bondi, D. Minn., No. 0:26-cv-00417, 1/28/26.