The RecordExhibit 135
Refusing to fingerprint detained immigrants, then denying their applications for missing the fingerprinting
Ruled unlawful means: A court ruled against it. Some rulings are on appeal.
In December 2025 Homeland Security stopped collecting fingerprints and other biometrics from detained immigrants with applications pending at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, while the agency kept denying applications when the required biometrics appointment was missed.
What happened
Detained people cannot get to a biometrics appointment, so the policy left many with no way to complete applications for protections Congress created, such as visas for victims of trafficking and crime, special immigrant juvenile status and asylum-related relief, which immigration judges often have no power to decide.
Detained immigrants filed a class action in federal court in Washington on April 30, 2026, with Democracy Forward among their lawyers. Some had been held for more than a year, and many are survivors of child abuse, domestic violence or trafficking, The Washington Sun reported.
Where it stands
On Oct. 7, 2026, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington found the policy likely arbitrary and capricious, writing that the government had offered no rational explanation for a rule that in effect denies immigration relief to a whole category of people, and noting that biometrics exist to verify identities and run background checks.
At a hearing, a government lawyer who was asked how the policy served its stated goals said the government did not have an answer 'right now.' Ali suspended the policy for all detained immigrants with pending applications, rejecting the government's argument that relief should cover only the named plaintiffs, and ordered the government to resume collecting biometrics from them while the case continues, with a report on compliance due Oct. 21.
The ruling grants no one a visa and does not end the case, and the judge declined to issue a separate preliminary injunction, finding the suspension enough for now. One news outlet had reported the ruling when this entry was written.
The administration's side
The administration argued that the policy deters frivolous claims and provides operational consistency, and that any relief should be limited to the people named in the complaint.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/biometrics/