MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Northern News Now) – The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced the launch of Operation PARRIS in Minnesota, an initiative reexamining thousands of refugee cases through new background checks and intensive verification of refugee claims, the agencies said.
USCIS said the effort initially targets about 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who have not yet received lawful permanent resident status (Green Cards). The agency’s newly established vetting center is leading the operation — Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening, or PARRIS — and will conduct merit reviews of refugee claims as part of the process.
“They have now begun referring cases of fraud and other crimes to ICE,” a USCIS statement said.
“Minnesota is ground zero for the war on fraud,” said a DHS spokesperson in a statement. “This operation in Minnesota demonstrates that the Trump administration will not stand idly by as the U.S. immigration system is weaponized by those seeking to defraud the American people. American citizens and the rule of law come first, always.”
USCIS said Operation PARRIS began in mid-December and is part of a broader strategy to implement enhanced screening standards under Executive Order 14161 and Presidential Proclamation 10949, directives that direct federal agencies to adopt new vetting measures aimed at guarding against national security threats.
The agency pointed to Operation Twin Shield, a recent probe into immigration fraud in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, as a precursor to its Minnesota work. The announcement did not specify how many referrals to ICE have been made, whether arrests have occurred, or how individual cases will be selected for review.
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