Attorneys and Advocates Respond to Hearing in Lawsuit Challenging ICE Arrests of Refugees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2026
Media Contacts
IRAP | Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
The Advocates | Madeline Lohman | press@advrights.org
CHRCL | Edward Barsoumian | press@centerforhumanrights.org
Berger Montague | Amy Wall-Monte | awallmonte@bergermontague.com
Recorded Version of Post-Hearing Press Conference Available Here
(Minneapolis, MN)—Today, a federal judge heard oral arguments on a preliminary injunction request in U.H.A. v. Bondi, a class action lawsuit challenging the unlawful arrest and detention of Minnesota refugees under Operation PARRIS. The lawsuit was filed by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Berger Montague, and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) on behalf of a group of impacted refugees and The Advocates for Human Rights.
Immediately following the hearing, local refugees, political leaders, advocates, and the attorneys arguing the case gathered in front of the courthouse for a press conference. Together, they discussed the lawsuit and implications for refugees and the families and communities supporting them. A recorded livestream of the press conference is available HERE.
At the press conference, speakers included:
E. Michelle Drake, Executive Shareholder, Berger Montague, said, "Arresting and detaining lawful refugees who have done nothing wrong is cruel, wasteful, and illegal. The Court should grant the preliminary injunction so that Minnesota's refugees no longer have to live in fear."
Michele Garnett McKenzie, Executive Director, The Advocates, said: "This administration launched Operation PARRIS in a way designed to strike fear into our community - by going door to door, arresting refugees, and sending them in shackles to detention centers where they faced interrogation alone. This is illegal and it is wrong. As the federal government continues its agenda of exclusion and expulsion from the United States, we will continue to oppose them and to champion the values on which our community rests."
Kimberly Grano, Staff Attorney, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), said, "Dozens of families have been re-traumatized and most of them still don't know what will happen to them next. Tens of thousands of immigrants have been living in fear, too scared to leave their homes or go to work or school for fear of getting snatched away. This fear will linger. What we are seeing here is the of a national campaign to transform refugee status from something permanent to something the U.S. government can take away at a whim. We were in court today because we will not stand for this. Refugees and immigrants of all types around the country are looking at what is happening in Minnesota with fear, but also hope from the tremendous efforts to push back against these unlawful actions. "Taylor Koehler, Staff Attorney, Policy & Programs, CHRCL, said: "Our refugee neighbors are under attack, and fear is seeping into all aspects of their lives: fear of driving to work, fear of dropping off their kids at school, fear of going to the doctor-fear that any normal errand could result in being taken from their families, shipped off to facilities in remote parts of the country, and effectively disappeared. Nobody should be forced to live in fear like this, no matter where they were born. That's why our fight matters. Refugee communities matter. They have endured enough fear already, and we stand ready to defend their inalienable rights, free of state-sponsored persecution."
The Honorable Ilhan Omar, U.S. Representative for Minneapolis, said, "Operation PARRIS is not about finding fraud - it's an excuse to traumatize and terrorize Black and Brown refugees who have already experienced unimaginable suffering and fear. I am so grateful that the Advocates for Human Rights and their partners are fighting this in court. We need full accountability for Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, Greg Bovino, and every official who created this blatantly cruel and illegal operation."
The Honorable Tina Smith, U.S. Senator representing Minnesota, said: "Minnesota has long been a beacon. It has long been a place that has welcomed refugees and asylum seekers. This is part of our faith tradition and it is part of the civil infrastructure that is the undergirding for everything about this state. We welcome people to this state because we know that it is good for all of us, that it enriches our community. It brings the best and the brightest to make Minnesota what it is. This is part of our appreciation of the core humanity and dignity of every person, particularly people who have been persecuted because of who they are and what they believe."
Seo Gia Vang, human rights activist, said: "America gave us something we did not have before: freedom to worship God, freedom of speech, and the freedom to live without fear. For that, I am grateful. But recently, my family experienced fear once again. My aunt, who is also a refugee, was arrested by ICE. [...] She arrived in Minnesota by the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. She has no criminal history. She was put on plane to Texas and almost deported back to Vietnam, the very place our family fled to survive. This brought back all the fear from before. To be clear, we're not asking for special treatment. We are simply asking for promises to be kept and our humanity to be respected."
Additional background on the lawsuit
The Trump administration is illegally targeting lawfully present refugees with the intent of terminating their refugee status and deporting them. After the January 8 announcement of Operation PARRIS until January 28 - when this court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) - armed ICE agents went door to door, arresting members of the Minnesota refugee community and sending them in shackles to detention camps in Texas. There, many refugees were subjected to intense interrogation without access to an attorney, and then released on the streets of Texas without money, identification, or any way to get home. The existing TRO protecting refugees from these violations of their rights will expire on February 25, and without a new court order, the government has been clear that it will continue to arrest and indefinitely detain lawfully present refugees in Minnesota. Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security released a memo claiming it is required to locate, arrest, and detain refugees who have not filed green card applications and appeared for an interview after one year, essentially authorizing Operation PARRIS on a national scale.
Resources
- Watch a recording of today's post-hearing press conference: HERE
- For photos of the press conference, available with attribution, please contact media@refugeerights.org
- Learn more about the new DHS memo: HERE
- Learn more about the lawsuit: HERE
- Read the press release announcing the lawsuit: HERE
- Read IRAP's explainer of Operation PARRIS: HERE
- Access Know Your Rights information for refugees living in the United States: HERE
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
The Advocates for Human Rights is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Advocates for Human Rights works in our home community and around the world to ensure access to immigration justice, end violence against women, abolish the death penalty, and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people. We are the Upper Midwest's primary provider of free immigration legal services for people fleeing persecution, torture, and violence.
www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Berger Montague is one of the nation's preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions, and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. With more than $2.4 billion in 2025 post-trial judgments alone. The Firm is a leader in complex litigation, consumer protection, antitrust, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas.
The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) is a legal non-profit committed to protecting and advancing the rights of immigrants through legal action, advocacy, and education. Through impact litigation, we challenge unlawful immigration policies to drive systemic change and establish stronger legal protections for immigrants. At the local, state, and federal levels, we advocate for fair and humane policies that uphold the rights of all immigrants.
https://www.centerforhumanrights.org/
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