A federal judge in Minnesota on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration that restricts it from detaining any of the state’s 5,600 lawful refugees awaiting permanent resident status.
“These individuals were admitted to the country, have followed the rules, and are waiting to have their status adjusted to lawful permanent residents of the United States,” Judge John R. Tunheim wrote in a 32-page ruling. The decision only affects those actively awaiting legal status, and does not affect those seeking asylum.
The ruling also calls for the release of the more than 100 refugees already detained by the federal government. The federal government has arrested and relocated more than 100 refugees from Minnesota to Texas, according to reporting by The New York Times.