A district court judge nominated by former President Joe Biden has ordered President Donald Trump to facilitate the entry of 12,000 refugees into the United States through a new ruling issued this week.
Judge Jamal Whitehead, appointed to the US District Court for the Western District of Washington in 2023, stated that Trump must recognize the thousands of refugees already approved for resettlement before he can enact an executive order suspending resettlement programs.
“This court will not allow the government’s efforts to rewrite judicial orders,” he emphasized:
While the government is free to seek further clarification from the 9th Circuit, it cannot disregard statutory and constitutional laws, nor ignore this court’s direct orders and those of the Ninth Circuit as it seeks such clarification. The government has an immediate duty to handle, acknowledge, and provide the legally mandated support services for the refugees under protection. It must also restore funding, information, and operational support to US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) partners as necessary to process, hospitalize, and provide services to these individuals. [Emphasis added]
After taking office, Trump had signed an executive order halting the refugee resettlement program, which led contractors dependent on refugee resettlement funds to file lawsuits seeking to restore the program.
In February, Whitehead blocked Trump’s executive orders aimed at suspending refugee programs, asserting that the president, while having broad immigration authority, does not possess limitless power.
“The president certainly has significant discretion regarding the suspension of hospitalizations for refugees, but that authority has its limits,” Whitehead noted.
