RASC News Agency: In a landmark ruling, a federal judge in Seattle has ordered the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump to resume processing at least 12,000 refugee applications that were unlawfully suspended. The decision, issued on May 5, follows a lawsuit filed by a coalition of refugees and advocacy organizations, marking a significant legal victory for displaced families left in limbo. The presiding judge, Jamal Whitehead, has given the administration until May 12 to recommence the stalled reviews. The affected individuals had already received approval for resettlement and had scheduled travel plans prior to the inauguration of the new U.S. administration on January 20 and the issuance of an executive order suspending the refugee admissions program.
The ruling has reignited hope for thousands of Afghanistani refugees men, women, and children whose dreams of safety and a new beginning in the United States were abruptly derailed by policy reversals under the Trump administration. Many of them had already passed rigorous vetting and had been cleared for travel when the program was unilaterally halted. Judge Whitehead had previously intervened on February 25 with a preliminary injunction blocking the refugee ban. However, the Trump administration sought to restrict the impact of that order, arguing that it applied only to a small group of 160 refugees due to arrive in the two weeks following the executive action.
In his latest ruling, Judge Whitehead strongly rejected this narrow interpretation, writing:
“The government’s reading is, quite simply, interpretive gymnastics at its most extremeva deliberate fabrication of meaning that does not exist in the court’s original language.” Deepa Alaganesan, an attorney with the International Refugee Assistance Project and one of the lead plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling, calling it a long-overdue affirmation of justice:
“Refugees who had been cleared to enter the United States were arbitrarily and cruelly denied that opportunity, leaving them stranded in dangerous and uncertain circumstances. The court has now made it clear that such interpretive gamesmanship has no place in law.”
Rick Santos, President of Church World Service and another plaintiff in the case, said the decision could not come soon enough:
“Our Afghanistani allies many of whom supported U.S. missions at great personal risk remain in a state of dangerous uncertainty. Families in need of medical treatment or immediate protection are still being neglected. Every day of delay increases their vulnerability and further erodes the infrastructure of America’s refugee resettlement program.”
This federal mandate not only reasserts the judiciary’s role in upholding refugee rights but also serves as a rebuke to politically motivated disruptions of humanitarian commitments. As the international community watches closely, the U.S. is being called upon to restore both its moral leadership and its legal obligations to those seeking refuge from war, persecution, and instability.
