State Department trying to evade refugee admissions court order, aid groups say
Refugee aid groups say the Trump administration seems to be trying to circumvent a court ruling blocking his efforts to suspend the nation's refugee admissions program.
Politics
Legal rulings against Trump team
Seattle â Refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Trump's administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation's refugee admissions program.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, in Seattle, had determined Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he can't nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, said Mr. Trump's actions amounted to an "effective nullification of congressional will" and from the bench, he granted the aid groups' request for a preliminary injunction blocking Mr. Trump's executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. Whitehead promised a written ruling in the next few days.
But Wednesday aid groups, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their "cooperative agreements" with the State Department had been canceled.
The groups on Thursday asked Whitehead for an emergency hearing to discuss the impact of the termination notices, or to make clear that his ruling also applies to those newly issued notices. The groups called the administration's actions a "flagrant attempt" to evade the court's ruling.
"Defendants are continuing to implement their defunding of the USRAP, and an emergency hearing is necessary to ensure that Defendants are not permitted to evade this Court's bench ruling and the forthcoming written order with antics designed to confuse the state of play," the motion said.
Whitehead set a hearing for Monday.
The State Department acknowledged receipt of an email from The Associated Press about the plaintiffs' motion, but did not otherwise respond to questions about it. The notices indicated the cooperative agreements with the resettlement agencies were being terminated "for the convenience of the U.S. Government pursuant to a directive from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for alignment with Agency priorities and national interest."
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's different from asylum, through which people who have just arrived in the U.S. can seek permission to remain because they fear persecution in their home country.
Despite longstanding support from both parties for accepting refugees, the program has become politicized in recent years. Mr. Trump also temporarily halted it during his first term, and then dramatically decreased the number of refugees who could enter the U.S. each year.
There are 600,000 people being processed to come to the U.S. as refugees around the world, according to the administration.
Mr. Trump's order and the administration's subsequent withholding of funds stranded refugees who had already been approved to come to the U.S., forced the refugee aid groups to lay off staff and cut off short-term assistance, such as rent, for those who had recently resettled here, the organizations said in the lawsuit challenging the actions.
Thursday's filing came the day after the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to block another court order requiring it to release billions in suspended foreign aid. The administration also outlined plans to cancel more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world.
Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts, said the termination of the contracts would hurt Afghans who worked closely with the U.S. during its more than two-decade-long war in Afghanistan and are now at risk. They've been resettling in the U.S. via the refugee program as well as the special immigrant visa program.
While the special immigrant visa program is still operational, the contract terminations strip away funding that went to helping those who qualified to come to America and start new lives here.
"Now Afghans are on their own to get here," he said.
"Make no mistake about it â this is a betrayal on par with what we all felt in August of 2021," he said, referring to the chaotic American withdrawal from Kabul under the Biden administration.Â
Immigration More
More In: Immigration Refugee© 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Moss Bluff Elementary students are celebrating âLouisiana Dayâ today across campus. Each student has been assigned a celebrated Louisiana food â such as king cake, boudin, Zappâs potato chips, strawberries and beignets â to share with their classmates. Their day also included a Mardi Gras led by Sam Houston High School cheerleaders and drumline. Â
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
This is PEAK mob wife aesthetic.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Dave Fishwick was live from the Oscars red carpet during Friday's episode of This Morning
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The âStranger Thingsâ star rocked a platinum blond updo with bangs during Mondayâs red carpet appearance.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
'It crossed all sorts of boundaries.'
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
THIS Morningâs stand-in host, Josie Gibson, 40, shared on her Instagram Story that she had to make an unexpected dash to the hospital. She later hobbled into the studio after the show had alrâŠ
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The best Netflix original series right now include Zero Day, Cobra Kai, American Primeval, The Night Agent, Black Doves, The Madness, and more.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Rod Stewart's wife Penny Lancaster has opened up on when they first got together
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
This Morning star Dave Fishwick reported live from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Friday
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Similarly to her relationship with the talent agent, the actress kept her health issues tightly under wraps before she died Wednesday at age 39.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Gibson also had a gold mobility scooter, complete with a âGibsonâ number plate
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Cat-eye manicures are everywhere in 2025, so we spoke to celebrity nail artist Lisa Kon about how to do them at home (and how she did Hailey Bieber's).
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
. %23lisa) |
|
|
The BBC even admitted that the family had been paid for the work
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
As Dawn Summers, Michelle Trachtenberg brought tangibility and humanity to Buffy the Vampire Slayer's supernatural world.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
This Morning presenters Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson made a loud entrance onto the set during Friday's programme, and their fun stunt left viewers divided and concerned over their safety
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.