Federal judge blocks DHS from detaining refugees who lack green cards under Operation PARRIS

A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration on March 23, 2026, from implementing Operation PARRIS, a DHS initiative to detain thousands of refugees who had not received green cards despite living in the U.S. legally for over a year. DHS had reinterpreted immigration law via internal memos in December 2025 and February 2026 to mandate detention of any refugee without lawful permanent resident status. The court found the reinterpretation legally erroneous and said the agency had used it to "terrorize refugees who immigrated under the promise they would be welcomed."