Judge Bars DHS From Detaining Refugees Who Don’t Obtain Green Cards

The policy is likely illegal, the judge said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington on Feb. 17, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

A federal judge on March 23 prohibited federal immigration officials from detaining refugees who do not apply for green cards within one year of entering the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late 2025 rescinded a 2010 memorandum that said agents could not detain a refugee solely for failure to obtain a green card. In February, the agency said that refugees who did not become lawful permanent residents after one year in the United States could be detained and kept in detention indefinitely.