Unlawful Detentions and Forced Removals Without Due Process Violate Rights, Endanger Refugees and U.S. Citizens

Refugee Congress is deeply alarmed by, and strongly condemns the Trump administration’s escalation of unlawful detentions and mass deportation of people across varying legal statuses. These actions are far-reaching, targeting resettled refugees and other lawful permanent residents who were granted legal protections. This is yet another egregious step in the administration’s efforts to incite fear and overstep judicial rulings, not only endangering the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors, but also threatening the safety of U.S. citizens.

When President Trump took office on January 20th, the administration quickly acted to target and harm immigrant and refugee communities. The President signed a series of executive orders, illegally suspending the bipartisan-supported U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and effectively shutting down a person’s right and access to asylum at the U.S. border. The administration also launched its mass deportation campaign across the country, seeking out individuals – including children – with no criminal records, and detaining them without due process.

Last weekend, the Trump administration forcibly removed 250 Venezuelans after invoking a 1700-era wartime authority – one that was used to justify WWII internment camps – in order to expedite removals, despite a federal judge blocking the order. The administration defied the court order and made a public show of its cruel enforcement. In Pennsylvania and Ohio, resettled Bhutanese refugees were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at their homes. Bhutan is reported to be included in an upcoming travel ban from the administration. ICE agents have also recklessly detained lawful permanent residents and individuals with valid visas, including: a green card holder and German national returning from a trip to Europe, a Columbia student and green card holder separated from his 8-month pregnant wife, and a Canadian national who was detained for two weeks while renewing her work visa at the border. 

The administration is irresponsibly and inhumanely enforcing its policies, detaining individuals seemingly at-will and often regardless of their citizenship or status. Even U.S. citizens have been unlawfully detained, and in some cases deported. Last month, the Customs and Border Protection deported a 10-year-old U.S. Citizen with brain cancer while she and her family were on the way to an emergency appointment. A Virginia man and naturalized citizen was briefly arrested by ICE agents while driving to work. 

There are nearly 48 million immigrants living in the United States. In 2024, the U.S. resettled over 100,000 refugees. There were 54,350 people who were granted asylum last year, though more than 2 million cases remain pending. Over 1 million people are living in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). According to the American Immigration Council, Trump’s mass deportation agenda could cost Americans billions of dollars in enforcement and would have a devastating impact on the U.S. economy. Additionally, the inhumane treatment of those detained and the ongoing hateful, anti-immigrant rhetoric of the Trump administration are bringing real harm to refugee and immigrant communities. Not only are families afraid that they will have their statuses revoked, be deported, or separated from their loved ones, but neighbors and local officials committed to protecting them have been directly threatened.

“Unlawfully detaining and forcibly removing people without due process is a dangerous assault on fundamental rights that puts everyone at risk—not just those seeking refuge, but every person who calls the U.S. home,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director. “The Trump administration is bent on tearing families apart, destabilizing entire communities, and dismantling the very ideals of welcome and safety that define us as a nation. When longtime residents—and even U.S. citizens—are wrongfully detained or deported, it sends a chilling message that no one is safe. Our elected leaders must act immediately to stop these violations, defend due process, and uphold human dignity before more lives are devastated.”