On April 1, The James H. Binger Center for New Americans at the University of Minnesota Law School, along with The Advocates for Human Rights, the National Immigration Project, and several law firms, announced the launch of the Minnesota Habeas Project (Project). Founded in February 2026 amid escalating ICE detentions carried out through Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS, the Minnesota Habeas Project provides legal support for Minnesota immigrants facing unlawful detention without access to bond or meaningful judicial review.
Since December 2025, over 1,000 habeas petitions have been filed in Minnesota through rapid response efforts by grassroots collectives and immigration or civil rights attorneys. In many cases, federal judges ordered the immediate release of individuals unlawfully detained. Yet, the need for habeas representation persists. Hundreds of Minnesotans arrested during Operation Metro Surge remain detained, with a large number transferred to detention facilities in other parts of the country.
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued a decision that expands ICE’s power to detain people without a bond hearing. Many individuals detained by ICE do not have access to legal representation to seek release from detention or an immigration attorney to navigate their case while detained.
“Immigration detention is designed to cut people off from their families, their communities, and the lawyers who can help them fight back,” says Rebecca Scholtz, senior staff attorney at the National Immigration Project. “The Minnesota Habeas Project directly confronts that isolation, ensuring that people in detention have access to high-quality legal services. It’s the difference between someone coming home and someone disappearing into the system.”
Since early February, the Project has addressed the ongoing need for legal representation in habeas petitions in federal court, especially for individuals detained far away from their homes in Minnesota. Through the Project, volunteer attorneys represent detained individuals in federal habeas corpus actions demanding that the U.S. government provide a legal justification for ongoing detention. If the court finds that the detention is unlawful, it can order immediate release or a bond hearing before the immigration court. To date, the Project has received over 100 requests for assistance, triaged and placed nearly 60 eligible cases with volunteer attorneys.
“People in immigration detention are not provided an attorney if they cannot afford one,” says Theresa Dykoschak, pro bono director at The Advocates for Human Rights.” The pro bono representation that so many attorneys have provided has been essential so that people can seek due process. And the need for this help is ongoing.”
Project partners train and support volunteer federal litigators to represent clients in habeas corpus actions in district courts in Minnesota and other jurisdictions throughout the country.
Just before its soft launch in February 2026, the Project trained over 300 attorneys on legal procedures in habeas cases and on substantive law for immigrants detained in administrative immigration custody. Over 20 law firms have established teams of attorneys nationwide to provide legal representation to Minnesotans, regardless of where in the U.S. ICE has transferred them. Project volunteers have supported clients with habeas representation in U.S. district courts in Minnesota, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Colorado, Nebraska, and Michigan.
“The volunteer attorneys are the backbone of the Minnesota Habeas Project,” says Nadia Anguiano ’17, associate clinical professor of law and director of the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic with the James H. Binger Center for New Americans. “Their willingness to take on urgent, high-stakes cases is remarkable, and through strong mentorship, training, and ongoing support by Project partners, they are able to step into complex habeas cases and make a meaningful difference for the people we serve.”
The Project received support from teams of volunteer attorneys staffing intake screening shifts and from Minnesota Legal Services State Support, which hosts a link to the Project intake form and resource portal. Minnesota's Office of New Americans is also providing support to sustain the Project for the next year.
Learn more about accessing legal services from the Minnesota Habeas Project. To volunteer or learn more, visit: Minnesota Habeas Project Volunteer Interest Form.
The Advocates for Human Rights is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Advocates for Human Rights works in our home community and around the world to ensure access to immigration justice, end violence against women, abolish the death penalty, and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people. We are the Upper Midwest's primary provider of free immigration legal services for people fleeing persecution, torture, and violence.
The James H. Binger Center for New Americans at the University of Minnesota Law School protects and advances the rights of noncitizens in the United States through advocacy, litigation, and community education. In collaboration with clients, partners, faculty, and students, the Binger Center helps foster an inclusive community that respects the dignity and promotes the agency of everyone.
The National Immigration Project is a membership organization of attorneys, advocates, and community members who believe that all people should be treated with dignity, live freely, and flourish. We litigate, advocate, educate, and build bridges across movements to ensure that those most impacted by the immigration and criminal systems are uplifted and supported. Follow the National Immigration Project on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads at @NIPNLG.