SEATTLE — A federal judge in Seattle has ruled against President Trump’s attempt to suspend the U.S. refugee admissions program, marking a significant victory for refugee assistance organizations.
The ruling emerged from a lawsuit filed by prominent refugee aid groups, which contended that Trump’s executive order violated the framework established by Congress for refugee resettlement in the United States.
Attorneys representing the administration argued that the executive order fell within the president’s rights to deny entry to foreigners deemed harmful to U.S. interests.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead stated that the president’s actions constituted an “effective nullification of congressional will” regarding the nation’s refugee program.
While acknowledging the president’s discretion to suspend refugee admissions, Judge Whitehead emphasized that this authority is not limitless.
The Justice Department expressed intentions to consider filing an emergency appeal following the hearing.
Organizations involved in the lawsuit included key players in refugee resettlement who asserted that the executive order severely hindered their ability to provide essential services to refugees, including those currently residing in the U.S.
Many refugees who had received prior approval for travel faced abrupt cancellations, leaving families who had endured years of separation in distress.
Trump’s recent directive cited “record levels of migration” as a justification for halting the program, arguing that communities could not adequately accommodate large numbers of new entrants, particularly refugees.
The federal refugee admissions program, established decades ago, provides asylum to individuals fleeing war, disasters, or persecution. Support for this program has traditionally spanned across political lines, but it has increasingly become a contentious issue.
During his previous term, Trump also temporarily suspended the program and significantly reduced the annual cap on refugee admissions.
In a related case, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined to swiftly halt the Trump administration’s actions following a lawsuit filed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. That case is set for another hearing this Friday.
