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A US judge ruled Trump's travel ban can't block approved refugees, citing legal protections for asylum seekers. Refugee processing must resume for those previously cleared but denied entry.
A US judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot use its travel ban to block already-approved refugees from entering the country. (AP Photo)
UPDATED: Jul 16, 2025 02:03 IST
A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration cannot use its travel ban to block already-approved refugees from entering the country. In a decision issued Monday, US District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle stated that the June proclamation issued by President Donald Trump does not apply to refugees, as it explicitly preserves the right of individuals to seek asylum or refugee status.
The order in question, Proclamation 10949, aimed to restrict entry from 12 countries in the name of national security. However, it included a clause clarifying that it should not be interpreted to limit protections under US asylum and refugee laws.
Judge Whitehead noted that excluding refugees who had already been vetted and approved would contradict the proclamation's own language.
As a result, the court ordered the administration to resume processing for 80 refugees who had previously been cleared for travel but were denied entry under the travel restrictions.
Several refugees had sold property, given up homes, or made other significant life changes in reliance on their anticipated resettlement in the US.
The decision stems from a lawsuit filed in February by individual refugees and aid groups, who also challenged the administration’s freeze on refugee-related funding.
Whitehead indicated that suspending refugee admissions likely overstepped executive authority and undermined congressional intent, since Congress established and funded the refugee program.
Although a previous injunction was largely put on hold by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, that court did lay out criteria for admitting refugees who had been cleared and had travel plans in place.
The administration had acknowledged that around 12,000 refugees were booked for travel before the program was suspended, and many of those cases will now be re-evaluated individually. The State Department declined immediate comment on the ruling.
- Ends
With inputs from Associated Press
Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Jul 16, 2025
