DHS Instructs Immigration Agents to Arrest Refugees Without Green Cards

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from detaining Minnesota refugees, but the government is fighting in court to hold them.

Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, appears at a hearing.

Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, signed the memo on detention of refugees along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow. Tom Brenner/AP

The Department of Homeland Security is directing federal immigration agents to arrest refugees who don’t have green cards, a major policy shift targeting people who entered the country legally.

The agency outlined the move to detain refugees in a Wednesday memo from the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“This detain-and-inspect requirement ensures that refugees are re-vetted after one year, aligns post-admission vetting with that applied to other applicants for admission, and promotes public safety,” the memo obtained by NOTUS states. The memo was first reported by Law Dork.