An appeals court has granted the Trump administration the authority to halt the approval of new refugees entering the U.S., following a lawsuit challenging his executive order on refugee admissions.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that refugees conditionally approved before Trump took office must still be processed. However, the panel allowed his administration to suspend new approvals, partially blocking an earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle.
Whitehead, a Biden appointee, argued that Trump lacked the authority to nullify the congressionally established program entirely.
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While acknowledging the president’s discretion over refugee admissions, he emphasized that such authority had limits. He cited reports of stranded refugees, separated families, and individuals who sold their belongings in preparation for canceled U.S. travel.
Trump justified his order by stating that local communities were overwhelmed by “record levels of migration” and lacked the resources to absorb additional refugees. His administration reported that 600,000 people worldwide were currently in the process of seeking refugee status in the U.S.
Though the U.S. refugee program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, it has become increasingly politicized. Trump previously suspended the program during his first term and significantly reduced the annual refugee cap.
The Justice Department defended Trump’s order as legally sound. However, plaintiffs, including the International Refugee Assistance Project, Church World Service, HIAS, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and individual refugees argued that the president failed to prove how these refugees posed any detriment to the U.S.
They also asserted that the order severely hindered their ability to provide critical services to refugees, both incoming and already resettled.
