USCIS Launches PARRIS Operation to Reexamine Refugee Cases Already Resettled in the United States

On January 9, 2026, USCIS announced that it had begun reexamining thousands of refugee cases already approved, admitted, and resettled in the United States through a new initiative called PARRIS, short for Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening. For refugees who believed their years of scrutiny were finally behind them, this announcement landed like a thunderclap.

The implications are significant, far-reaching, and deeply unsettling for refugee communities across the country.

What Is PARRIS and Who Is Being Targeted?

USCIS has confirmed that PARRIS initially focuses on approximately 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who have not yet adjusted to lawful permanent resident status. The operation is being led by a “newly established vetting center” in Atlanta. While USCIS frames this as a new development, practitioners know that USCIS has operated an Atlanta-based vetting center for years, particularly for asylum cases, dating back at least to a June 2020 final rule.

According to USCIS sources cited in a January 7 article, once the Minnesota cases are reviewed, the agency intends to expand this effort nationwide. In other words, this is not a pilot program. It is a roadmap.

Even more concerning, USCIS social media posts indicate that at least two refugees have already been detained as a result of this review. One individual was described as a “felon” and a “security risk,” although USCIS did not cite specific criminal convictions or conduct. The second individual was detained without any stated criminal history or articulated basis. USCIS identified these two individuals only by nationality, one Somali and one Burmese, and provided no details about where they are being held, under whose custody, or how long DHS intends to detain them.

This Is Not Just About Fraud

Although the January 9 announcement characterizes PARRIS as an anti-fraud initiative, the scope of the review tells a very different story. USCIS statements, internal memos, and public messaging suggest a sweeping reevaluation of the legal sufficiency of refugee approvals themselves.

USCIS has made clear that it will be scrutinizing all possible grounds that could retroactively render a refugee ineligible, including:

• Terrorism-Related Inadmissibility Grounds (TRIG)

• The persecutor bar

• Other mandatory or discretionary bars to admission

• Credibility determinations

• Whether the principal applicant and derivatives met the refugee definition at the time of admission

In effect, USCIS is reopening cases that were already vetted through one of the most rigorous humanitarian screening processes in the world.

The November 21, 2025 Memo Changes Everything

The PARRIS operation cannot be understood in isolation. On November 21, 2025, USCIS Director Joe Edlow issued an internal memo ordering the review and potential re-interview of all refugee approvals issued between Janury 21, 2021, and February 20, 2025. That is an estimated 200,000 cases.

The memo also ordered USCIS to stop adjudicating adjustment of status applications filed by refugees, their derivatives, and follow-to-join refugees admitted during this period. For many refugees, this means their path to permanent residency has been frozen indefinitely.

The memo relies on Executive Order 14163, titled Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program, which suspended USRAP under sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The stated justification is a desire to “only admit refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate into the United States.” That language alone raises profound legal and constitutional concerns.

What USCIS Has Admitted So Far

USCIS has acknowledged that it has 90 days to compile a priority list of cases for re-interview and will issue further guidance through its Office of Policy and Strategy. However, the memo goes much further. It states that USCIS has already determined that a comprehensive review and re-interview of all refugees admitted during the covered timeframe is warranted.

Reviewers are instructed to examine whether refugee approvals were legally sufficient under INA § 101(a)(42), whether all eligibility criteria were met, and whether any grounds of inadmissibility under INA § 212 applied. This includes reexamining whether appropriate waivers were granted under INA § 207.3, with specific emphasis on the persecutor bar.

If USCIS determines that a refugee was not eligible at the time of admission, it may terminate refugee status under INA § 207.9. Once refugee status is terminated, any pending I-485 application may be denied outright. Even refugees who have already adjusted to lawful permanent resident status are explicitly subject to review under this memo.

Why This Is Unprecedented

This effort is extraordinary not only because of its scale, but because of its premise. Refugees admitted to the United States already undergo years of vetting involving UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, the State Department, and DHS. These are not cursory reviews. They are exhaustive, multi-agency determinations made by trained refugee adjudicators.

Reopening these cases years later signals a dramatic shift in how finality, due process, and reliance interests are treated in U.S. immigration law. For refugees trying to rebuild their lives, this uncertainty is destabilizing and frightening.

What Refugees Should Do Now

Refugees who fall within the affected timeframe should assume their cases may be reviewed and act accordingly. That means preserving records, understanding the details of their original refugee claims, and seeking competent legal guidance before USCIS contacts them.

This is not a moment for assumptions or self-help strategies. The legal issues implicated by PARRIS are complex, high-stakes, and evolving. Immigration attorneys who closely monitor policy shifts and agency practices are best positioned to assess risk and respond strategically.

Tran Flores Law will continue closely monitoring USCIS announcements, policy memos, and implementation practices related to PARRIS and refugee case reexaminations. We encourage readers to follow us for ongoing updates, analysis, and explanations as more information becomes available.