A U.S. federal court has issued a temporary injunction against the Trump administration’s executive order to pause the nation’s refugee resettlement program, ruling in favor of advocacy organizations that opposed the presidential mandate issued early in Trump’s presidency.
Judge Marcus Henderson determined that the presidential action contradicted congressional legislation regarding refugee admissions.
“While presidential authority allows for temporary suspension of refugee entries,” Henderson noted, “such power comes with specific constraints,” according to coverage in The Hill.
The judicial decision implements a provisional block on the executive order’s implementation, halting its immediate execution.
The presidential order sought to implement a 90-day suspension of refugee applications, citing the need to evaluate whether refugee admissions served “national interests.” The directive also sought to give the president sole power to determine when to resume admissions.
Multiple organizations filed legal opposition, including HIAS (previously known as Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and Church World Service. Their lawsuit challenged both the program’s suspension and the sudden termination of funding to refugee assistance organizations, including those supporting refugees admitted during Biden’s term.
The legal action included nine refugee plaintiffs who faced program exclusion, with many being refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan, The Hill reported.
Prior to the order’s implementation, the Department of State had already suspended refugee flights, announcing its collaboration with partners to “halt U.S. refugee arrivals and stop processing procedures.”
Yet in a parallel legal matter brought by Catholic bishops, a different federal judge recently refused to restore funding for refugee support programs.