SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A group gathered at Wooldridge Park in Austin, Texas to protest Governor Greg Abbott's decision not to allow Syrian refugees into the state. The Syrian People Solidarity Group organized the protest which included several hundred people (Photo: Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images)
Cheers as Federal Judge Blocks Trump Order Allowing Localities to Refuse New Refugees
"This is an important first step, but this fight is far from over."
Jan 14, 2020
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration order giving states and localities the power to refuse to resettle refugees.
"This injunction provides critical relief," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). LIRS is one of three faith-based resettlement agencies that had sued to block the September order. "Those who have been waiting for years to reunite with their families and friends will no longer have to choose between their loved ones and the resettlement services that are so critical in their first months as new Americans," Vignarajah said.
U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte issued a temporary injunction (pdf) and wrote that President Donald Trump's order flies "in the face of clear statutory text and structure, purpose Congressional intent, executive practice, judicial holdings, and Congressional doctrine."
The block comes just days after Texas's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott drew outrage from human rights advocates by announcing his state would take advantage of Trump's order by refusing to accept the resettlement of new refugees.
Lawyer and U.S. immigration policy expert Sarah Pierce, in a tweet, said that the Messitte's order "essentially nullifies" Abbott's decision.
Immigrant rights group RAICES welcomed the temporarily block and its effect on refugees in Texas.
\u201cOn Friday Gov Abbot tried to stop refugees from resettling in Texas. \n\nToday we can confirm that thanks to a new ruling, Gov. Abbot's racist policy will have no effect now. \n\nY'all did this.\n\nOur work shifts culture. Which shifts rulings. \n\nToday we celebrate & keep fighting.\u201d— RAICES (@RAICES) 1579112689
The ruling was also welcomed by the International Rescue Committee.
"The ruling recognizes that this harmful and unnecessary administration policy would have further burdened refugees granted the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the United States, and contribute positively to our communities," said Jennifer Sime, the organization's senior vice president of resettlement and asylum. "It further recognizes that the government did not have legal grounds to delegate resettlement decisions to states, and to cities."
LIRS's Vignarajah stressed that, given the Trump administration's sustained attacks on refugees and immigrants, more work lies ahead.
"This is an important first step, but this fight is far from over," she said. "We do not expect the administration to back down from using these vulnerable people as political pawns. But we will continue to stand for welcome and trust and pray that the law will still protect the most vulnerable who are fleeing war, violence, and persecution."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration order giving states and localities the power to refuse to resettle refugees.
"This injunction provides critical relief," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). LIRS is one of three faith-based resettlement agencies that had sued to block the September order. "Those who have been waiting for years to reunite with their families and friends will no longer have to choose between their loved ones and the resettlement services that are so critical in their first months as new Americans," Vignarajah said.
U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte issued a temporary injunction (pdf) and wrote that President Donald Trump's order flies "in the face of clear statutory text and structure, purpose Congressional intent, executive practice, judicial holdings, and Congressional doctrine."
The block comes just days after Texas's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott drew outrage from human rights advocates by announcing his state would take advantage of Trump's order by refusing to accept the resettlement of new refugees.
Lawyer and U.S. immigration policy expert Sarah Pierce, in a tweet, said that the Messitte's order "essentially nullifies" Abbott's decision.
Immigrant rights group RAICES welcomed the temporarily block and its effect on refugees in Texas.
\u201cOn Friday Gov Abbot tried to stop refugees from resettling in Texas. \n\nToday we can confirm that thanks to a new ruling, Gov. Abbot's racist policy will have no effect now. \n\nY'all did this.\n\nOur work shifts culture. Which shifts rulings. \n\nToday we celebrate & keep fighting.\u201d— RAICES (@RAICES) 1579112689
The ruling was also welcomed by the International Rescue Committee.
"The ruling recognizes that this harmful and unnecessary administration policy would have further burdened refugees granted the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the United States, and contribute positively to our communities," said Jennifer Sime, the organization's senior vice president of resettlement and asylum. "It further recognizes that the government did not have legal grounds to delegate resettlement decisions to states, and to cities."
LIRS's Vignarajah stressed that, given the Trump administration's sustained attacks on refugees and immigrants, more work lies ahead.
"This is an important first step, but this fight is far from over," she said. "We do not expect the administration to back down from using these vulnerable people as political pawns. But we will continue to stand for welcome and trust and pray that the law will still protect the most vulnerable who are fleeing war, violence, and persecution."
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration order giving states and localities the power to refuse to resettle refugees.
"This injunction provides critical relief," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). LIRS is one of three faith-based resettlement agencies that had sued to block the September order. "Those who have been waiting for years to reunite with their families and friends will no longer have to choose between their loved ones and the resettlement services that are so critical in their first months as new Americans," Vignarajah said.
U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte issued a temporary injunction (pdf) and wrote that President Donald Trump's order flies "in the face of clear statutory text and structure, purpose Congressional intent, executive practice, judicial holdings, and Congressional doctrine."
The block comes just days after Texas's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott drew outrage from human rights advocates by announcing his state would take advantage of Trump's order by refusing to accept the resettlement of new refugees.
Lawyer and U.S. immigration policy expert Sarah Pierce, in a tweet, said that the Messitte's order "essentially nullifies" Abbott's decision.
Immigrant rights group RAICES welcomed the temporarily block and its effect on refugees in Texas.
\u201cOn Friday Gov Abbot tried to stop refugees from resettling in Texas. \n\nToday we can confirm that thanks to a new ruling, Gov. Abbot's racist policy will have no effect now. \n\nY'all did this.\n\nOur work shifts culture. Which shifts rulings. \n\nToday we celebrate & keep fighting.\u201d— RAICES (@RAICES) 1579112689
The ruling was also welcomed by the International Rescue Committee.
"The ruling recognizes that this harmful and unnecessary administration policy would have further burdened refugees granted the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the United States, and contribute positively to our communities," said Jennifer Sime, the organization's senior vice president of resettlement and asylum. "It further recognizes that the government did not have legal grounds to delegate resettlement decisions to states, and to cities."
LIRS's Vignarajah stressed that, given the Trump administration's sustained attacks on refugees and immigrants, more work lies ahead.
"This is an important first step, but this fight is far from over," she said. "We do not expect the administration to back down from using these vulnerable people as political pawns. But we will continue to stand for welcome and trust and pray that the law will still protect the most vulnerable who are fleeing war, violence, and persecution."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.