United States must admit 12,000 refugees, judge says

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Signs held up as Tshishiku Henry, a former refugee and delegate for the Refugee Congress, speaks outside the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Feb. 25, 2025. Associated Press / Photo by Ryan Sun

United States must admit 12,000 refugees, judge says

U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead on Monday ruled that a previous court order required the U.S. government to admit around 12,000 refugees. Whitehead’s ruling was a response to the Justice Department’s requests for clarification of a March federal appeals court order. The appeals court order partially blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to shut down the Refugee Admissions Program.

Several refugees and refugee resettlement agencies later sued the president and key figures in his administration. The government argued it should only have to admit about 160 refugees whose planes were scheduled to depart for the United States within two weeks of the executive order. But Whitehead said the appeals court’s language was clear and applied to many other refugees.

Which refugees qualify for admittance under the order? A refugee may enter the United States if he or she

Had an approved refugee application authorizing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to admit the individual as a refugee within four months of the approval date
Had been cleared for entry by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Had arranged and confirmable travel plans to the United States, which Whitehead clarified included everyone holding a plane ticket on the day Trump issued his executive order shutting down the program.

What else did Whitehead say in his ruling? He set out a framework requiring the federal government to begin processing the qualifying refugees within a week. The government must within the next 21 days reinstate resettlement services like housing, transportation, and monetary assistance for the group of refugees, Whitehead said. If the government has feasibility concerns, it must meet with the plaintiffs to agree on a course of action, he said. If the two sides can’t agree on amendments, the judge said he would issue another order approving or denying changes.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on a new stipend offered to illegal immigrants who self-deport.