Yet another leftist judge has overstepped his authority to shut down a crucial part of President Trump’s agenda.
As The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a Biden appointee in Seattle, blocked Trump’s attempts to stop the federal refugee resettlement program, which has been abused for years by Democrat administrations and refugees themselves.
In his ruling, Whitehead said that Trump’s actions were an “effective nullification of congressional will” in setting up the nation’s refugee admissions program.
“The president has substantial discretion … to suspend refugee admissions,” Whitehead stated. “But that authority is not limitless.”
The plaintiffs involved in this garbage lawsuit include the International Refugee Assistance Project, the Jewish refugee resettlement agency HIAS, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and individual refugees and family members. They claimed unless Trump’s order was reversed, they would have great difficulty providing services to refugees.
Trump lawyers, though, rightfully pointed out the president had explicit constitutional authority to deny entry to foreign nationals who “would be detrimental to the interests of the United States” if allowed into the country.
Last month, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14155, titled “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” which suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) effective January 27, 2025.
This order stopped the entry of refugees into America and barred federal funding to organizations assisting refugees, including those already in the country. The suspension is to remain in effect until a determination is made that resuming the program is aligned with U.S. interests.
The AP also notes that Trump temporarily stopped the refugee resettlement program during his first term and significantly decreased the number of refugees who could enter America each year.
News of this outrageous travesty also comes after the Trump administration won a similar ruling last week. As The Gateway Pundit reported, a federal judge rejected the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would have forced the administration to restore funding immediately.
The lawsuit, filed by the non-profit organization USCCB in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenged the Trump administration’s decision to cut off federal grants that fuel the mass resettlement of migrants across America—programs that have operated for decades with little oversight.
The lawsuit names the State Department, the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as defendants.
That case faces another hearing Friday, according to the AP.
