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MEDIA CONTACTS
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 

(Minneapolis, MN) – Last night, a group of refugees represented by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Berger Montague, and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) filed a federal class action lawsuit challenging the illegal arrest and imprisonment of resettled refugees in Minnesota. Individual plaintiffs are lawfully resettled refugees who are not yet legal permanent residents. Many did apply for their green cards, but have been unable to receive them due to the Trump administration’s suspension of processing for refugees’ applications and long-standing processing delays. The Advocates for Human Rights, a non-profit providing on-the-ground legal representation to impacted refugees in Minnesota, is an organizational plaintiff.

Since the announcement of Operation PARRIS on January 9, armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are going door to door arresting members of the Minnesota refugee community, including children and the elderly, and spiriting them off to detention camps in Texas. Refugees who assert their legal right to refuse ICE entry into their homes without a judicial warrant are then receiving letters calling them to appear at a local ICE office, where they are immediately detained without explanation, probable cause, or due process. Others have had their cars followed or been picked up on their way to work or school, making many refugee community members terrified to even leave the house.

Once jailed in Texas, refugees are frequently put through intensive questioning without adequate opportunity to prepare or consult with a lawyer. Many have been forced to answer the same questions they were already asked when they initially proved to the U.S. government they were refugees or on their green card applications, this time without the opportunity to review the paperwork they may have submitted months or years ago. Those ICE has released were left on the streets of Texas, usually without money, identification, or any way to get home. Other refugees have been forced to stay in detention in Texas for a week or more, with no information about why they are being detained or when they will be released.

"Refugees are being stripped from their families, carried across state borders, and held in inhumane detention centers guarded by armed agents, high fences, and barbed wire," said Taqwa Elhindi, a Supervising Attorney at IRAP representing detained refugees in Texas. "One elderly woman and her son were taken to facilities in separate cities, unaware of the others' whereabouts. In addition to being separated from their loved ones, refugees face immense barriers trying to contact their lawyers, leaving them alone and confused about why they are being held when they have adhered to every requirement imposed by the U.S. government."

The lawsuit argues that the U.S. government has no legal authority to detain lawfully present refugees without charge, and seeks to halt the U.S. government's illegal, discriminatory, and cruel practice of warrantless arrest, unauthorized detention, and coercive interrogation.

"ICE is hunting down refugees and disappearing them from their homes," said Kimberly Grano, Staff Attorney, U.S. Litigation at IRAP. "The Trump administration is intentionally and illegally terrorizing resettled refugees who are not accused of any wrongdoing. Refugees are being re-traumatized, families are being separated, and entire communities are living in fear. It is clear the administration intends to use these baseless detentions and coercive interviews to intimidate refugees and try to terminate the status of people this country promised to protect. We are suing to end these illegal tactics immediately."

"ICE agents are dragging refugees from their homes in Minnesota, including children and families, flying them to brutal prisons in Texas, and attempting to strip them of legal protections," said Sarah Kahn, a Senior Staff Attorney at CHRCL. "They target them based on their home country and where they live without any reason to believe they have done anything wrong. There is no reason for this fascist, violent persecution of refugees except hatred for immigrants."

"The victimization of refugees as part of a political payback is abhorrent. Refugees wait years to come to the United States, often to escape totalitarian regimes," said Berger Montague Executive Shareholder E. Michelle Drake. "ICE is now behaving worse than the dictators from whom many of our clients escaped. ICE's conduct is shameful and illegal, and we look forward to achieving justice in court."

"The federal government is tearing refugees from their homes and communities, shattering their hard-won safety and security," said Michele Garnett McKenzie, Executive Director of The Advocates for Human Rights. "DHS is inflicting this cruelty without providing legal justification or an opportunity for refugees to access their attorneys and defend themselves from imprisonment. This attack on refugees is directly contrary to The Advocates object and purpose: ensuring all Governments, especially that of the United States, respect essential legal protections enshrined in the International Refugee Convention. Operation PARRIS has also forced The Advocates for Human Rights to divert scarce resources and time to opposing this illegal operation. International and U.S. law are clear - we have a legal and moral obligation to protect individuals who face persecution, not expose them to imprisonment, isolation, coercion, and abuse. The government must cease these illegal actions that undermine the commitment we made to these refugees, causing grave harm to individuals, families, and communities."

Additional Information

Read the complaint: HERE

Read IRAP's statement condemning the arrest and detention of refugees: HERE

Access Know Your Rights information for refugees living in the United States: HERE

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/

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