On Tuesday, a federal judge issued a ruling that blocks President Donald Trump’s attempt to indefinitely suspend the U.S. refugee resettlement program, asserting that the president overstepped his executive authority by abruptly halting the program.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, who issued the ruling from Seattle, sided with a coalition of refugee advocacy groups who had filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s actions.
While acknowledging that the president has considerable discretion under federal law to suspend refugee admissions, Judge Whitehead emphasized that this authority is not without limitations. “I cannot ignore Congress’s detailed framework for refugee admissions and the limits it places on the president’s ability to suspend the same,” he stated during the court hearing.
The ruling, which granted a preliminary injunction, noted the likelihood of “irreparable harms” that could be caused by the suspension. These include refugees being stranded after selling their possessions, agencies laying off hundreds of staff, and family reunifications being indefinitely delayed.
Trump had imposed the suspension on January 20, the first day of his presidency, arguing that the refugee program needed to ensure that those admitted could “appropriately assimilate” into American society and that taxpayer resources should not be wasted. As part of the suspension, Trump ordered the secretaries of Homeland Security and State to submit a report within 90 days on the potential for restarting the program.
The suspension of the refugee resettlement program led to the cancellation of travel plans for thousands of refugees, including 1,660 Afghans who had been cleared to resettle in the U.S. The abrupt action also included the freezing of funds for U.S.-based organizations assisting refugees, as part of a broader pause on foreign aid.
The lawsuit was brought by nine refugees and their U.S.-based family members, including a family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This family, which had been approved to travel to the U.S. on January 22, found their travel plans abruptly canceled. According to the lawsuit, the family sold all of their belongings, except for what could fit in their luggage, and gave up their lease, only to see their resettlement plans thwarted.
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