Judge Orders Trump Admin to Admit Roughly 12,000 Refugees

SUMMARY

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to admit approximately 12,000 refugees, rejecting the government's attempt to narrow the number to just 160. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead criticized the administration for “rewriting” a clear appeals court order and emphasized that the government cannot ignore statutory law or court directives. The ruling follows President Trump’s executive order on January 20 suspending the refugee program, which triggered legal challenges from aid groups and refugees already approved for travel. While the 9th Circuit mostly upheld Trump’s authority, it required the administration to process refugees who had arranged travel before Jan. 20. The Justice Department argued this applied only to those scheduled within two weeks of the order, but Whitehead said no such limit exists. He instructed the government to resume processing the affected refugees within seven days and to take immediate action to admit those whose clearances are still valid.