By Nate Raymond
(Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to indefinitely suspend the U.S. refugee resettlement program, saying the Republican had exceeded his executive authority by abruptly shutting down the program.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle, in ruling for a coalition of U.S. refugee backers who sued to challenge Trump’s action, acknowledged that the president had substantial discretion under federal law to suspend refugee admissions.
“But that authority is not limitless,” he said during a court hearing. “I cannot ignore Congress’s detailed framework for refugee admissions and the limits it places on the president’s ability to suspend the same.”
The judge, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, said a preliminary injunction was warranted given the likelihood of “irreparable harms, including refugees stranded after selling their possessions, agencies laying off hundreds of staff, and family reunifications suspended indefinitely.”
Trump, a Republican, immediately paused refugee resettlement after taking office on January 20, saying the program must ensure that refugees admitted to the U.S. “appropriately assimilate” and that taxpayer resources are not wasted.
He called for the secretaries of Homeland Security and State to submit a report within 90 days to determine if it should be restarted.
The sudden shutdown meant refugees across the globe had their scheduled travel to the U.S. canceled, including 1,660 Afghans cleared to resettle. Days later, funds for U.S. groups that assist refugees already in the country were frozen as part of a larger pause on foreign aid.
The lawsuit was brought by nine refugees and U.S.-based family members, including a family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that was approved to travel to the U.S. on January 22 but had their travel canceled.
The family, which resides in Nairobi, sold all of their belongings except for what could fit in their checked luggage and gave up the lease on their home, the complaint said.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Chris Reese and Deepa Babington)
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