Trump DHS Memo Orders Detention of Refugees Who Don’t Apply for Green Cards or Present for One‑Year Re‑Vetting
A Feb. 18 DHS memo directs that refugees must either obtain a green card within a year or "present themselves to the agency" for inspection, and says failure to do so can result in detention — formally rescinding prior guidance that not applying for a green card was not grounds for deportation. Refugee groups and the memo’s filing in a pending federal case warn the change could affect tens of thousands (largely recent arrivals), effectively conditions admission on compliance and raises deportation risk amid cuts to resettlement funding that help with green‑card applications.
📌 Key Facts
- A Feb. 18 DHS memo reproduced in reporting says refugees must either obtain a green card within one year or "present themselves to the agency" for inspection — otherwise they could be detained.
- The memo formally rescinds prior DHS guidance that had said failure to file for a green card was not grounds for deportation.
- The memo was filed in the administrative record of a pending federal case about refugees arrested in Minnesota, tying the policy directly to ongoing litigation.
- Refugee resettlement organizations estimate the new policy could affect "tens of thousands" of refugees, largely people admitted under the Biden administration.
- Resettlement leaders — including HIAS CEO Beth Oppenheim and AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver — describe the memo as a "transparent effort" to detain and potentially deport legally present refugees and a "reckless reversal" that effectively conditions admission.
- The administration has cut off key funding to resettlement groups that assist with green‑card and citizenship applications, a change advocates say could cause processing delays or loss of help that increase the risk refugees will fail to meet the memo's requirements and face detention.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 19, 2026
3:10 PM
Refugees in the U.S. could be arrested under new immigration memo
New information:
- NPR reproduces language from the Feb. 18 memo stating refugees must either obtain a green card within a year or 'present themselves to the agency' for inspection or face detention.
- The article confirms the memo formally rescinds prior guidance that did not treat failure to file for a green card as grounds for deportation.
- Refugee resettlement organizations estimate the policy could affect 'tens of thousands' of refugees, largely those admitted under the Biden administration.
- HIAS CEO Beth Oppenheim and AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver are quoted calling the memo a 'transparent effort' to detain and potentially deport legally present refugees and a 'reckless reversal' that makes admission effectively conditional.
- The memo is described as being filed in a pending federal case about refugees arrested in Minnesota, tying the policy directly to that litigation record.
- NPR notes the administration has already cut off key funding to resettlement groups that help with green‑card and citizenship applications, increasing the risk that processing delays and lack of help could trigger detention under the new rule.