Human Impact Project

A federal judge in Boston blocked the Trump administration's policy that would subject thousands of refugees to arrest and detention if they fail to obtain green cards within a year of entering the United States. The policy, part of 'Operation PARRIS,' potentially affects over 100,000 lawfully admitted refugees. The judge ruled the policy was an unlawful reinterpretation of immigration law departing from decades of established practice.

On March 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security fired nearly all staff at its Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) through reduction in force notices. By May 2025, CRCL had seen an 80 percent staff cut and OIDO a 96 percent cut, drastically reducing the agencies' ability to investigate complaints, make recommendations, and conduct facility inspections.

The Trump administration deported 238 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador in March 2025, labeling them as terrorists and dangerous gang members. However, internal Department of Homeland Security data obtained by ProPublica reveals that officials knew only 32 had been convicted of U.S. crimes, with most being nonviolent offenses, and more than half had no U.S. criminal record at all, having only violated immigration laws. The deportees were sent to CECOT prison in El Salvador without judicial review, and many remain incarcerated for over two months with no ability to contact families or lawyers.

Chicago attorneys filed a federal court motion on March 13, 2025, accusing ICE and DHS of violating immigration law and constitutional rights of at least 22 people arrested since January. The motion alleges agents made warrantless arrests and created warrants in the field after arrests, including the arrest of a U.S. citizen. Attorneys cite violations of the Nava Settlement and Fourth Amendment protections.

The Trump administration has resumed detaining immigrant families at U.S. facilities, reversing a Biden-era policy pause and reopening two Texas family detention centers that had been closed since 2021. The facilities have inadequate medical care, food insecurity, and conditions associated with psychological trauma for detainees. Additionally, the administration has begun sending deportees, including children, to detention facilities in Panama and Costa Rica.

The Trump administration is reviving the practice of detaining migrant families with children in ICE custody, with the first group including three children detained at a facility in Texas. The move reverses Biden administration policy. Two Texas detention centers in Karnes City and Dilley are being refitted to house families with minors.

Former ICE Acting Chief of Staff Deborah Fleischaker testified before Congress about operational challenges in immigration enforcement and the limitations of technology. She noted that actual removal and arrest numbers have declined compared to Fiscal Year 2024 averages, despite increased enforcement efforts and resources under the Trump Administration.