Trump's halt of U.S. refugee program was lawful, appeals court rules [View all]

Source: Seattle Times

March 5, 2026 at 5:40 pm


President Donald Trump acted within his authority when he indefinitely suspended the U.S. refugee admissions program last year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. A three-judge panel largely reversed a series of preliminary injunctions issued by a federal judge in Seattle last year that blocked Trump’s executive order suspending admissions and directed the federal government to release funds for refugee resettlement agencies.

In Thursday’s opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Jay Bybee wrote, “We recognize the enormous practical implications of this decision.” Trump signed the order halting admissions the same day he took office. At the time, more than 128,000 people were conditionally approved for refugee status.

“There are over one hundred thousand vetted and conditionally approved refugees, many of whom may have spent years completing the USRAP process in a third country only to be turned away on the tarmac,” wrote Bybee, a George W. Bush appointee, referring to the United States Refugee Admissions Program.

But, he continued, that is a result of Congress granting the president the power to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens” under the Immigration and Nationality Act. “Whether that consequence reflects prudent policy is not a question for this court,” Bybee wrote.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/trumps-halt-of-u-s-refugee-program-was-lawful-appeals-court-rules/