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 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.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 640 people during a weeklong enforcement operation in the Houston area. ICE stated that most of those arrested were accused of crimes.

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.

In March 2025, Franklin County Jail detained an immigrant for 12 hours after he posted bond to allow ICE agents to arrest him, according to reporting from the Columbus Dispatch. Sheriff Dallas Baldwin, a Democrat, stated his office has a policy against honoring ICE's civil immigration detention requests, but acknowledged his staff did not follow policy in this case. The Dispatch reported multiple cases where immigrants were held by the jail on ICE detainers. Ohio Immigrant Alliance Executive Director Lynn Tramonte stated this was not an isolated incident and that immigration lawyers have documented numerous similar cases, characterizing the jail's cooperation with ICE as systemic rather than anomalous.