REGULATORY · USA
DHS memo ties detention to one-year refugee status
Change
A Feb. 18 memo from USCIS and ICE states that refugees can be detained after one year in the U.S. unless they obtain a green card within that year or present themselves to the agency.
Why Now
USCIS and ICE issued a Feb. 18 memo stating that immigrants who entered the U.S. as refugees can be detained after one year in the country. The memo says refugees must either obtain a green card within a year of arrival or present themselves to the agency to avoid detention. The excerpt also states the administration set the lowest-ever cap on refugee admissions last year. Separately, USCIS announced it would re-review the status of everyone admitted as a refugee under the Biden administration, reopening those cases and risking loss of legal refugee status.
Impact
- • Refugees who reach one year after arrival without a green card or an agency check-in can be detained under the memo.
- • USCIS re-review of refugees admitted under the Biden administration reopens previously decided cases and can result in loss of legal refugee status.
- • Refugee admissions are constrained by a lowest-ever cap set last year, as described in the excerpt.
Who Recalculates
- • Refugees in the U.S. approaching or past one year since arrival
- • Immigration enforcement agencies (ICE)
- • Immigration adjudication agency (USCIS)
- • Refugee resettlement and legal services providers
Source
Topics
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