
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the East Room at the White House Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP).
A federal judge in Seattle has barred the Trump administration from attempting to “dismantle” the country’s refugee resettlement system.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a Joe Biden appointee, issued a bench ruling in favor of a preliminary injunction. On Friday, the court issued a 62-page order formalizing that opinion.
Under the terms of Executive Order 14163, President Donald Trump aimed to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 90-day intervals “until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.” The plaintiffs, in their lawsuit, said the 45th and 47th president’s executive order counsels a stark violation of federal law. The judge agreed.
“[T]hough the Executive enjoys considerable latitude to suspend refugee admissions, that discretion is not boundless,” Whitehead wrote. “Where, as here, Presidential action effectively nullifies a congressionally established program, causing irreparable harm to vulnerable individuals and organizations, judicial intervention becomes necessary to preserve the separation of powers our Constitution demands.”