A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s move to suspend refugee admissions into the United States in response to a lawsuit from refugee aid groups.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office suspending refugee resettlement and ordering the Department of Homeland Security to report back in 90 days on whether resuming resettlement would be in the interests of the U.S.
But District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a Biden appointee, said Trump’s actions were an “effective nullification of congressional will” in setting up the nation’s refugee admissions program.
HOMAN ISSUES STARK WARNING FOR ILLEGALS AMID CLASH WITH SANCTUARY CITY OFFICIALS: ‘WE’RE COMING’
President Donald Trump walks to the White House Feb. 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
“The president has substantial discretion … to suspend refugee admissions,” Whitehead told the parties, according to The Associated Press. “But that authority is not limitless.”
The case had been brought by refugee groups, including International Refugee Assistance Project, HIAS, Lutheran Community Services Northwest and individual refugees. The groups argued their ability to provide services to refugees had been damaged by the Trump order.
The order was one of a number of orders attempting to limit both illegal and legal immigration, including the use of parole to allow in migrants by the Biden administration. Trump had limited refugee resettlement in his first term, but President Joe Biden made moves to take in more refugees, including by increasing the refugee cap.
People gather outside U.S. District Court after a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to halt the nation’s refugee admissions system Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Eugene Johnson)
“The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees,” Trump said in his Jan 20 order.
“This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE
The plaintiffs argued that the suspension is in violation of federal law, and any such change should have been subject to the notice-and-comment period as laid out in the Administrative Procedures Act. They also argued that the suspension, as well as a suspension of funding, was “arbitrary and capricious.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The ruling marks a blow for the Trump administration after a federal judge last week declined to block the suspension in a similar case brought by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The conflicting rulings could mean the case ultimately ends up before the Supreme Court.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
