World Relief says 4K resettled refugee families it resettled could be impacted by DHS vetting operation

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, January 20, 2026

The Evangelical humanitarian organization World Relief says refugee families it has helped resettle in Minnesota may be vulnerable to detainment and removal, as thousands of resettled refugee families face renewed immigration scrutiny under a U.S. Department of Homeland Security vetting operation that has led to arrests for alleged fraud. 

The DHS, through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has begun implementing Operation Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening (Operation PARRIS) in Minnesota, aimed at verifying refugees resettled during the Biden administration through reinterviews, case reviews and new vetting standards.

The operation, which began in mid-December, targets Minnesota’s 5,600 refugees who have not yet received green cards. Federal officers are reviewing past approvals, checking for fraud and other violations, and sending cases to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for action.

Officials said the initiative is part of a broader federal directive to enforce public safety and immigration integrity under Executive Order 14161 and Presidential Proclamation 10949. As part of its broader immigration crackdown in Minnesota, federal officials have already made more than 10,000 arrests in the state, according to a Monday statement. 

In a video, Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals that receives funding from the U.S. State Department to facilitate the resettlement of refugees in the U.S., said ICE agents have shown up at the homes of resettled refugees and detained entire families, including children, in some cases.

World Relief announced last week that among the families detained were those resettled through its partnership with local affiliate Arrive Ministries.

Soerens said ICE appears to be targeting refugees who have not yet received green cards. Refugees are not eligible to apply for a green card until they have been in the United States for at least one year, he said, adding that most families in Minnesota have already submitted their applications.

"We got some very troubling news, coming out of Minnesota in particular, where refugees, families that have been lawfully resettled by the United States government because they fled persecution in their countries of origin, had been detained by ICE," he said. "ICE officers had actually shown up at their doors, and if allowed in, had detained in some cases entire families, including children." 

He said some individuals were arrested while leaving for work, leaving behind spouses and children. The U.S. government had invited these families to settle in the country after fleeing religious persecution, often for their Christian faith or political reasons, he underlined. 

"[These] refugees are lawfully present from the moment that they arrive, they have been invited by the United States to rebuild their lives in this country because of the persecution that they have already been found to have experienced ... for reasons like their faith in Jesus or their political opinion or their nationality, their ethnicity," he added. "The families that have been detained that we are aware of have already filed for their green cards the way that they are supposed to. But they have not yet received them. Part of that is green cards for refugees resettled under the previous administration have been halted entirely as of last fall."

Soerens added that the DHS has indicated the operation will expand to other states. The group estimates that about 4,400 people resettled through its offices, affiliate partners, and churches nationwide could be vulnerable under this initiative.  

“This is a five-alarm fire. These are not the ‘worst of the worst;’ these are innocent children and families who fled the worst wars and persecution imaginable, who were invited by the American people to become Americans under the terms of American law,” World Relief President Myal Greene said in a statement. “This shameful and unpatriotic operation preys on our basest fears and manipulates the truth. Enough. ICE must be held accountable, and this operation must cease.” 

Operation PARRIS is being led by USCIS’s newly established vetting center and builds on a September probe, Operation Twin Shield, which uncovered 275 cases of immigration fraud in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Officials said the aim is to strengthen post-admission verification and to refer suspected criminal activity to ICE.

"USCIS officers focused on more than 1,000 cases that had fraud or ineligibility indicators, conducted over 900 site visits and in-person interviews, and found evidence of fraud, non-compliance, or public safety or national security concerns in 275 cases — 44 percent of cases interviewed," the agency stated in September. "USCIS coordinated with our ICE and FBI partners, who provided valuable assistance during the operation. As of today, USCIS issued Notices to Appear (NTAs) or referred aliens to ICE in 42 cases, and 4 aliens were apprehended."

USCIS found several cases of marriage fraud, and others were found to be related to suspected terrorists.

"In another case, an alien engaged in marriage fraud by taking advantage of an elderly U.S. citizen spouse, including subjecting the spouse to elder abuse and exploitation," the USCIS stated. "This is a small sample of the immigration fraud USCIS officers across the nation combat every single day."

“USCIS is declaring an all-out war on immigration fraud. We will relentlessly pursue everyone involved in undermining the integrity of our immigration system and laws. ... Immigration fraud undermines the integrity of our lawful immigration system, harms those who follow the law, and poses risks to national security and public safety. Under President Trump, we will leave no stone unturned.”

ICE Director Todd Lyons said earlier that the agency will continue its enforcement activity in the state regardless of political opposition or public protest.

As part of the broader enforcement surge in Minnesota, ICE has arrested dozens of individuals with convictions for violent crimes, including rape and murder. Several of those detained are men from Laos who had previously received final removal orders dating back to the late 1990s and early 2000s.

ICE said many of the individuals had been ordered removed for years or decades, but remained in Minnesota.