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From The Hill: A coalition of refugee resettlement organizations sued President Trump on Monday over an executive order from the first day of his administration that indefinitely suspends the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program (USRAP).
The suit challenges not just the suspension but the abrupt cutoff of funding to those that aid refugees, including for work done in advance of Trump taking office.
Trump’s order bars processing of those fleeing persecution and danger for 90 days as administration officials study whether accepting refugees is “in the interests of the United States,” leaving it to the president to determine when to do so.
“President Trump cannot override the will of Congress with the stroke of a pen,” said Melissa Keaney, an attorney with International Refugee Assistance Project, which is representing the resettlement groups, in a statement.
Last week, the IRAP claimed, “The recent suspension of the refugee program has left thousands of refugees in limbo, turning their wait into an indefinite one. This decision has real consequences for those seeking safety and stability, now facing even greater uncertainty.”
The recent suspension of the refugee program has left thousands of refugees in limbo, turning their wait into an indefinite one. This decision has real consequences for those seeking safety and stability, now facing even greater uncertainty. pic.twitter.com/M6hmKwQ18n
— IRAP (@IRAP) February 7, 2025
Monday, the IRAP announced their lawsuit against the Trump administration in a press release:
Today, three national and local refugee-serving agencies and nine individuals filed Pacito v. Trump, the first lawsuit challenging President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) suspending the U.S. refugee resettlement program (USRAP), as well as the efforts by the Trump Administration to decimate the USRAP by withholding critical, congressionally-appropriated funding for refugee processing and services. The new federal litigation, filed in the Western District of Washington, asks the court to declare the EO illegal, enjoin all implementation of the EO, and restore refugee-related funding.
The lawsuit was filed by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) on behalf of Church World Service (CWS), HIAS, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW) – whose ability to provide critical services to refugees in the U.S. and abroad has been severely inhibited by the suspension of USRAP and funding, as well as impacted individual plaintiffs, including refugees who had their travel to the U.S. canceled on short notice, families hoping to reunite after years of separation, and a local community sponsor.
To drive home their case, IRAP quoted multiple would-be refugees whose hopes and dreams were crushed by Trump’s executive order, including Ahmed:
“When the Taliban took over Afghanistan I was a student at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. I was a peace activist and advocated for human rights and was evacuated along with other students whose lives were at serious risk,” said plaintiff Ahmed, who was travel-ready before the EO was issued. “For the past three years, I’ve been waiting for the chance to go to the United States and reunite with my sister and her family. I have not seen her since 2021 and I have never met my youngest niece. I was so excited to join them.”
BREAKING: New lawsuit challenges Trump suspension of refugee resettlement program and freeze of refugee funding.
Exclusive from the @nytimes:https://t.co/VCBh3x2YBE
Read the press release:https://t.co/e22CrAvGM9
— IRAP (@IRAP) February 10, 2025
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