US judge blocks Trump administration from detaining thousands of refugees

A federal judge on Monday blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing a new policy that would subject thousands of refugees

to arrest and detention if after a year in the United States they had yet to obtain green cards.



U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston acted at the request of six refugees and two advocacy groups who argued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's policy was an unlawful departure from decades of practice.



The plaintiffs alleged the policy exposed over 100,000 lawfully admitted refugees whose adjustments of immigration status applications are pending before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to potential detention.