Detained Immigrants Sue to Stop Trump-Vance Policy That Dooms Their Applications

A coalition of detained immigrants represented by Democracy Forward, the National Immigration Project, and the National Immigrant Justice Center has filed a class action lawsuit challenging a Trump-Vance administration policy that effectively denies immigration relief to people locked in detention centers.

The policy requires applicants to submit biometrics — fingerprints and photos — to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as part of their immigration applications. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is refusing to collect biometrics from those held in detention, causing automatic denials of their applications.

Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward, called the policy “as unlawful as it is cruel,” accusing the administration of “setting an unlawful trap” by demanding biometrics but then blocking people from providing them. She emphasized that this fast-tracks deportations without due process and strips people of legal protections Congress intended.

Michelle Mendez of the National Immigration Project described the policy as a deliberate scheme: “Require biometrics, refuse to collect them, then punish people for the gap you created.” She said the administration is using this broken process as justification to deport people eligible for relief.

The National Immigrant Justice Center highlighted the human cost. Mary Georgevich, a senior litigation attorney, explained that many detained people seeking lawful permanent residency or protection from trafficking and abuse are now having their applications derailed because ICE won’t transport them for biometrics appointments. Without court intervention, the policy will lead to more family separations and deportations to danger.

The lawsuit details individual stories: a young abuse survivor already denied once due to missing biometrics faces the same fate again, and a trafficking survivor missed his appointment because he was detained and not transported, putting him at risk of deportation.

Federal law mandates USCIS to adjudicate properly filed applications, with biometrics as a required step. The lawsuit argues the DHS policy violates immigration law, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Fifth Amendment’s due process protections by blocking access to relief.

The plaintiffs seek to block and vacate the policy, demanding restored access to the immigration application process during the case.

This case, J. Z. et al. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security et al., is backed by legal teams from Democracy Forward, the National Immigration Project, and the National Immigrant Justice Center.

This policy is the latest in a series of Trump-Vance administration moves designed to weaponize immigration enforcement and shut down legal pathways, accelerating deportations and tearing families apart. Courts must step in to halt this injustice before more lives are destroyed.