Judge scoffs at Trump admin claims about new travel ban during arguments over refugee admissions program

Source: Law & Crime

Jul 7th, 2025, 5:34 pm


A federal judge in Seattle says it's "more clear than ever" that clarity and action is needed to identify the number of refugees who have been allegedly affected by President Donald Trump's efforts to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 90-day intervals after immigration lawyers claimed Monday in court that the number could be in the "hundreds or even thousands" — far more than the 160 who've been recognized.

Speaking at a hearing in the Western District of Washington on Monday morning, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead — a Joe Biden appointee — told Justice Department lawyers and attorneys representing a Congolese refugee known by the pseudonym Pacito, who is suing the government over the USRAP suspension, that they can "expect an order from the court by the end of the week" in regards to establishing a formal compliance framework to assess eligibility for refugees under an injunction he granted in February.

Monday's hearing covered the Trump administration's attempt to apply his latest travel ban to refugees the court has ordered resettled under Whitehead's preliminary injunction.

It is one of the first cases where a federal court is considering the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 27 ruling limiting nationwide injunctions.

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/an-uncanny-resemblance-judge-scoffs-at-trump-admin-claims-about-new-travel-ban-during-arguments-over-refugee-admissions-program/