Refugees Left Behind Get a Second Chance in Court
A Seattle judge orders the feds to admit refugees whose travel was canceled under Trump’s 2025 ban, calling the administration’s denials unlawful and rushed.
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Seattle ruled Monday that the Biden-era travel ban still enforced by the Trump administration cannot be used to bar entry to refugees whose cases meet prior court-established criteria, including some whose travel plans were previously canceled.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead ordered the federal government to admit approximately 80 refugees from countries included in President Donald Trump’s travel ban, and potentially thousands more whose cases were affected in the lead-up to the administration's executive order halting refugee admissions.
The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by refugee resettlement organizations, including Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and individuals like a Bellevue woman who sought to sponsor a refugee family from Afghanistan — one of the countries included in Trump’s ban.
The judge’s ruling follows a prior February decision, when Whitehead determined that Trump’s order likely violated the separation of powers. That dec…