U.S. District Judge John Tunheim on 28 February 2026 converted an earlier temporary restraining order into a statewide preliminary injunction that prevents immigration agents from arresting or detaining approximately 5,600 refugees residing in Minnesota who have not yet received green cards. The Trump administration’s February 18 guidance claimed statutory authority to re-detain refugees one year after admission while their adjustment-of-status applications are reviewed. Tunheim ruled the policy “turns the American Dream into a dystopian nightmare,” finding that Congress never authorised blanket detention of lawfully admitted refugees. Although the order is limited to Minnesota, legal scholars say the reasoning—rooted in due-process protections and international-treaty obligations—provides a roadmap for challenges in other circuits. Refugee-resettlement agencies nationwide have urged companies employing affected workers to document lawful status and avoid unnecessary I-9 reverification until the litigation concludes.
![Federal Judge Blocks Trump Policy Allowing Mass Detention of Refugees in Minnesota]()
For organisations and individuals now scrambling to update travel papers or verify employment eligibility, VisaHQ can be a practical ally: its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) guides users through obtaining replacement I-94s, travel visas and other essential documents, with live support that can ease compliance headaches while legal uncertainties persist.
For corporate mobility teams, the ruling removes an immediate risk that valued employees could be detained mid-assignment. Employers should, however, continue to monitor the case and maintain copies of refugees’ I-94s, work authorisations and pending I-485 receipts in anticipation of potential federal appeals. The Department of Homeland Security denounced the injunction as “lawless,” signalling it will seek an expedited appeal at the Eighth Circuit. Until then, refugees in Minnesota can travel domestically without fear of arrest—for now easing a climate of uncertainty that had already led some to decline out-of-state project work.
For organisations and individuals now scrambling to update travel papers or verify employment eligibility, VisaHQ can be a practical ally: its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) guides users through obtaining replacement I-94s, travel visas and other essential documents, with live support that can ease compliance headaches while legal uncertainties persist.
For corporate mobility teams, the ruling removes an immediate risk that valued employees could be detained mid-assignment. Employers should, however, continue to monitor the case and maintain copies of refugees’ I-94s, work authorisations and pending I-485 receipts in anticipation of potential federal appeals. The Department of Homeland Security denounced the injunction as “lawless,” signalling it will seek an expedited appeal at the Eighth Circuit. Until then, refugees in Minnesota can travel domestically without fear of arrest—for now easing a climate of uncertainty that had already led some to decline out-of-state project work.
