Latest news with #JamalWhitehead
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Seattle judge rescinds order directing Trump administration to admit 12,000 refugees
A judge on Thursday rescinded an order that would have required the Trump administration to admit some 12,000 refugees into the United States. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle issued the order earlier this month, following instructions from a federal appeals court that said the government must process refugees who before Jan. 20 already had 'arranged and confirmable' travel plans to enter the U.S. That's the day President Donald Trump took office and suspended the nation's refugee admissions program. But last Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals clarified the order: Refugees should be admitted on a case-by-case basis, if they could show they had relied on promises from the U.S. before Jan. 20 that they would be able to travel to America. As an example of who should be admitted, the appeals court noted the case of one plaintiff, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who sold his family's belongings and gave up the lease on their home because he, his wife and their child were supposed to fly to the U.S. on Jan. 22 before the administration canceled their travel. In his order Thursday, Whitehead said the government should admit 160 refugees who had plans to come to the U.S. within two weeks of Jan. 20. 'The Government must process, admit, and provide statutorily mandated resettlement support services to these Injunction Protected Refugees immediately,' he wrote. Thousands of other refugees who had plans to arrive after that would need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, Whitehead said. He said he would appoint a special master to conduct those assessments, and he asked lawyers for refugee assistance groups who brought the lawsuit and the Justice Department to suggest potential candidates for that role. The refugee program, created by Congress in 1980, is a form of legal migration to the U.S. for people displaced by war, natural disaster or persecution — a process that often takes years and involves significant vetting. It is different from asylum, by which people newly arrived in the U.S. can seek permission to remain because they fear persecution in their home country. Upon beginning his second term on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending the program. That triggered a lawsuit by individual refugees whose efforts to resettle in the U.S. have been halted as well as major refugee aid groups, who argued that they have had to lay off staff. The groups said the administration froze their funding for processing refugee applications overseas and providing support, such as short-term rental assistance for those already in the U.S. Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, blocked enforcement of Trump's order, saying it amounted to an 'effective nullification of congressional will' in setting up the nation's refugee admissions program. The 9th Circuit Court largely put Whitehead's decision on hold in March, finding that the administration was likely to win the case given the president's broad authority to determine who is allowed to enter the country.
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Biden-appointed Judge Orders Refugee Resettlement Resumed
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening… -Vance previews US-Iran nuclear talks, says Trump 'open' to sitting down with Russians, Chinese in future -Congress moves to address air traffic controller crisis as Newark meltdown sparks alarm -205 arrested in FBI child sex operation, Patel and Bondi announce Judge Orders Refugee Resettlement to Resume A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to immediately resettle some 12,000 refugees into the U.S. under a court order that partially blocks President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at halting the refugee admissions program . U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden , issued the order despite the Trump administration saying during a hearing last week that it should only have to process 160 refugees into the country and would likely appeal any order requiring thousands to be admitted. "This Court will not entertain the Government's result-oriented rewriting of a judicial order that clearly says what it says," Whitehead wrote Monday. "The Government is free, of course, to seek further clarification from the Ninth Circuit. But the Government is not free to disobey statutory and constitutional law — and the direct orders of this Court and the Ninth Circuit — while it seeks such clarification."… READ MORE White House ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ: Trump pushes to reopen infamous California prison, but Pelosi and Newsom dismiss it as a 'distraction' CAMPUS PROBE: University of Washington faces Trump admin antisemitism scrutiny over anti-Israel protests REAL ID Takes Effect COMPLIANCE NOTED: How many Americans are actually ready for REAL ID? Compliance crosses partisan, geographic bounds SUMMER BUMMER: New travel rules, same confusion: 'Real ID' raises questions, concerns among college-aged travelers 'YOU'LL BE OKAY': Top TSA official explains what to do if you do not have REAL ID 'ITS A DISASTER': Trump offers to help Obama with presidential library troubles World Stage ACT OF WAR': Pakistan calls India's strikes an 'act of war' and claims it shot down Indian fighter jets 'A LITTLE PATIENCE': Cardinals gather in St. Peter's Basilica for final Mass before conclave to choose new pope TEHRAN TORTURE: Family of American hostage tortured in Lebanon wins landmark case against Iran SIGNALS CROSSE: China's spying in Cuba sparks alarm on Capitol Hill after fresh satellite images show surveillance buildup 'DURABLE PEACE': Vance says Russia's demands are too high, but there's still a path to resolution of Ukraine war Capitol Hill LIKE 'GOODFELLAS': Fetterman slams 'dumb hit piece' about health, says it felt like being in classic mob movie HAT IN THE RING: Illinois Rep. Krishnamoorthi jumps into crowded Democratic race for Senate INTIMIDATION AND THREATS: Durbin calls on DOJ to investigate anonymous pizza deliveries to judges' homes ROCK BOTTOM: President Trump's approval ratings slide, but Democrats' poll numbers drop to new lows Across America 'ALARMING': Antisemitism spiking around the world, ADL finds in its first-ever global report HUNTING PREDATORS: FBI targets 250 suspects in '764' network of online predators manipulating kids into violent, explicit videos DISTURBING DETAILS: Riley Gaines says 'literal human feces' thrown in protest of Turning Point USA at University of Washington LIKE FATHER LIKE SON: Son of independent U.S. senator mounts Maine gubernatorial bid Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on .
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Federal judge orders Trump admin to immediately resettle 12K migrants
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to immediately resettle some 12,000 refugees into the U.S. under a court order that partially blocks President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at halting the refugee admissions program. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, issued the order despite the Trump administration saying during a hearing last week that it should only have to process 160 refugees into the country and would likely appeal any order requiring thousands to be admitted. "This Court will not entertain the Government's result-oriented rewriting of a judicial order that clearly says what it says," Whitehead wrote Monday. "The Government is free, of course, to seek further clarification from the Ninth Circuit. But the Government is not free to disobey statutory and constitutional law — and the direct orders of this Court and the Ninth Circuit — while it seeks such clarification." Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office suspending refugee resettlement and ordering the Department of Homeland Security to report back in 90 days on whether resuming resettlement would be in the interests of the U.S. DHS UNLEASHES POSSIBLE MONEY-SAVING MEASURE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS TO SELF-DEPORT: 'SAFEST OPTION' In February, Whitehead blocked the Trump administration's move to suspend refugee admissions into the United States in response to a lawsuit from refugee aid groups. Whitehead said at the time that Trump's actions were an "effective nullification of congressional will" in setting up the nation's refugee admissions program. NOEM CALLS FOR DEATH PENALTY FOLLOWING MARITIME HUMAN SMUGGLING ATTEMPT THAT LEFT CHILD DEAD Whitehead ordered the Trump administration within the next seven days to resume processing the cases of refugees who are protected by the court order. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The federal judge also told the government to immediately take steps to facilitate admission to the U.S. for those refugees whose clearances, including medical and security authorizations, have not yet lapsed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration ordered to admit thousands of refugees
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to allow about 12,000 additional refugees into the country, rejecting the White House's argument that approved migrants can be turned away if they did not arrive in the U.S. by early February. The Department of Justice (DOJ) argued a previous court order meant the government only had to accept about 160 refugees who would be en route to the U.S. by Feb. 3, but U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead rebuffed that interpretation. 'It requires not just reading between the lines, but hallucinating new text that simply is not there,' he wrote Monday. 'It is surprising that there could be any disagreement about the meaning of a judicial order that articulates three specific criteria in plain, straightforward language.' Faith-based refugee aid groups filed a lawsuit in February after President Trump issued an executive order that indefinitely suspended the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program (USRAP), created by Congress in 1980 for people fleeing persecution, wars or natural disasters in their home countries. USRAP is more rigorous than the asylum system that thousands of migrants have used to cross the U.S. borders, and it can take years for applicants to receive approval. The initial lawsuit argued that Trump's order was illegal because it sidestepped Congress, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the president has broad authority over who is allowed into the country. However, it directed the federal government to continue processing previously approved refugees who had 'arranged and confirmable travel plans to the United States' by the time Trump issued his Jan. 20 executive order that suspended the program. The DOJ set a two-week deadline from that date for refugees to travel to the U.S., but the refugee aid groups argued that arrangements only had to be made and not immediately underway. Whitehead agreed on Monday. 'Had the Ninth Circuit intended to impose a two-week limitation — one that would reduce the protected population from about 12,000 to 160 individuals — it would have done so explicitly,' the judge wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Hill
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump administration ordered to admit thousands of refugees
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to allow about 12,000 additional refugees into the country, rejecting the White House's argument that approved migrants can be turned away if they did not arrive in the U.S. by early February. The Department of Justice (DOJ) argued a previous court order meant the government only had to accept about 160 refugees who would be en route to the U.S. by Feb. 3, but U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead rebuffed that interpretation. 'It requires not just reading between the lines, but hallucinating new text that simply is not there,' he wrote Monday. 'It is surprising that there could be any disagreement about the meaning of a judicial order that articulates three specific criteria in plain, straightforward language.' Faith-based refugee aid groups filed a lawsuit in February after Trump issued an executive order that indefinitely suspended the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program (USRAP), created by Congress in 1980 for people fleeing persecution, wars or natural disasters in their home countries. USRAP is more rigorous than the asylum system that thousands of migrants have used to cross the U.S. borders and can take years for applicants to receive approval. The initial lawsuit argued that Trump's order was illegal because it sidestepped Congress, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the president has broad authority over who is allowed into the country. However, it directed the federal government to continue processing previously approved refugees who had 'arranged and confirmable travel plans to the United States' by the time Trump issued his Jan. 20 executive order that suspended the program. The DOJ set a two-week deadline from that date for refugees to travel to the U.S., but the refugee aid groups argued that arrangements only had to be made and not immediately underway. Whitehead agreed on Monday. 'Had the Ninth Circuit intended to impose a two-week limitation — one that would reduce the protected population from about 12,000 to 160 individuals — it would have done so explicitly,' the judge wrote.
