Operation PARRIS

The administration of cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump repeatedly has claimed that its deportation operations are aimed at the "worst of the worst." This is a lie. The majority of those being detained by Department of Homeland Security agents working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol do not have criminal records. While some will argue that simply being an undocumented resident is itself a crime, that is irrelevant in the vast majority of cases in which immigrants have been detained. Those being targeted are generally not undocumented as the term is normally understood. Rather, the immigrants were allowed into the country, often as a result of asylum claims, and provided a list of conditions to which they must adhere. A common condition is regular check-ins with immigration officials, and many of those detained have actually been seized when they showed up for their required appointments. ICE and BP are, in fact, targeting almost any immigrant upon whom they can get their hands, even individuals who are in full compliance with the law. One of the most egregious examples of the Trump administration targeting law-abiding immigrants is Operation PARRIS, which was launched on January 9, 2026, and aimed at 5,600 lawfully admitted refugees residing in Minnesota.

The most important thing to understand about Operation PARRIS is that it is aimed at refugees. Refugees are different from asylum seekers. An individual seeking asylum needs only show up at a border post and announce that they are seeking asylum status. At one time, such individuals would almost immediately be paroled into the country with a court date scheduled for the future. Refugees, on the other hand, undergo extensive vetting by DHS and other federal agencies while they are still abroad, often in refugee camps. Refugees are approved for resettlement and brought to the U.S. in coordination with the U.S. government. The majority of the Somali residents of Minnesota arrived as refugees and were granted lawful permanent residency (green cards) long ago. Many have since become citizens. Other immigrants, including Somalis, but many other nationalities as well, have applied for green cards but are still waiting for approval. These refugees are being targeted by the Trump administration for reexamination. With no real evidence, the Trump administration has argued that the refugee program is rife with fraud and is planning "new background checks and intensive verification of refugee claims."

Many refugees and their advocates envisioned that this would essentially be an appointment at a local office during which they could provide support for the legitimacy of their status. Instead, DHS has been implementing Operation PARRIS by sending masked agents to round up individuals at homes, places of work, and schools. Those detained are generally whisked from Minnesota to Texas before their families or legal advocates can intervene. In Texas, they are detained in harsh conditions, allowed only very limited outside contact, and subjected to long interviews for which they are not allowed to prepare or obtain legal counsel. Many of those who "pass" the interview are simply dumped on the streets of Texas with no identification, money, or phone. They must find their own way back to Minnesota. Somewhat ironically, some have been granted their green cards at the end of the process.

Multiple legal cases have been filed on behalf of individual refugees as well as a class-action lawsuit. One of the cases was on behalf of an individual identified as Jama A.O., who is a native of Somalia. Jama A.O. was lawfully admitted as a refugee on October 25, 2010, and has a pending application to adjust his status to that of a lawful permanent resident. On January 18, Jama A.O. received a phone call telling him that he had a package at the door. When he went to retrieve it, he was slamed to the ground by ICE officers. The officers did not produce a warrant and falsely claimed to have an order for his removal. Jama A.O.'s attorneys moved quickly and were able to obtain an order from a judge to prevent his removal from Minnesota. On January 23, a federal district judge found that Jama A.O. had been unlawfully detained and ordered his release.

A second case was was filed on behalf of Ta Eh Doh Lah, a citizen of Myanmar. Lah, her husband, and their three children were admitted to the U.S. as lawful refugees on November 6, 2024. Lah filed to adjust her status to that of lawful permanent resident on November 10, 2025. On January 9, ICE agents entered Lah's apartment building through a propped open door. The agents then encountered Lah's husband and child and asked them to help them locate Lah. The agents entered Lah's apartment and asked her to step outside. Once outside, she was arrested. At the time, she was breastfeeding her fourth child who was five-months-old. In addition, during prenatal care, Lah was found to have congenital heart disease that was going to be addressed after the birth of her baby. As a result, she requires expert medical care. She was forced to miss one appointment due being detained. Lah was removed to Texas before lawyers could intervene on her behalf. However, they were able to obtain an order from a U.S. district court judge ordering that she be returned to Minnesota and then released.

The New York Times had an article about Operation PARRIS yesterday in which they described the plight of Selamawit Mehari, an Eritrean single mother of three. Mehari was arrested at her home in front of her children and placed in shackles. The next day, "chained at the wrists, waist, and ankles," she was flown to Texas. Mehari works at the Minneapolis airport and has applied for a green card. At her job, "she wears a badge that whisks her through security checkpoints for her shifts." She spent several days in Texas before being interviewed for several hours. Eventually, without explanation, she was released along with several other detainees. They had no money or identification and were left to find their own way back to Minnesota.

Three days ago, a number of refugees and an immigrant rights organization filed a class action suit against Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and others seeking to stop Operation PARRIS. One of the plaintiffs, identified as "U.H.A," is a young adult who lives with his parents. He was admitted as a refugee in 2024. He has no criminal record and has no pending removal proceeding. On January 18, he was stopped while driving to work, ordered out of his car, handcuffed, and detained. Another plaintiff, identified as D. Doe, was home when a man in plain clothes knocked on his door and told him that he had hit Doe's car. When Doe went to check, he was surrounded by armed men who handcuffed him. He was then flown to Texas in shackles. Six days later, he was released on the streets of Houston without documents. He was able to contact his wife and return to Minnesota. Several other plaintiffs are family members of these two and are currently in hiding in fear that they may be detained as well.

The plaintiffs have made a number of due process claims and other legal arguments that they are not subject to the sort of arbitrary detainment to which they have been subjected (or could potentially face). They are arguing that Operation PARRIS is unlawful. Their legal claims follow very closely those of the two individual cases highlighted above in which judges ruled in favor of the refugees.

While Trump and his subordinates have argued that they are going after the "worst of the worst," in reality it is much more common that law-abiding legal immigrants are targeted. In the case of Operation PARRIS, lawful refugees who were vetted extensively before ever setting foot on U.S. soil are being aggressively detained, sent from Minnesota to Texas in shackles, and then dumped on the street without an ID, money, or phone. Immigration advocates suggest that the Trump administration is hoping to uncover sufficient cases of fraud to justify removing refugee status from vast numbers of individuals. However, to date, it does not appear that DHS is uncovering much fraud at all. Instead, the department is creating unnecessary fear in the community and causing hardship for those it is unlawfully detaining.