Seattle Judge Blocks Trump Travel Ban From Excluding 80 Refugees

U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead ruled in Seattle on 15 July that the Trump administration may not rely on Proclamation 10949—its June travel ban covering entrants from 12 countries—to bar 80 refugees who had already completed security vetting and received approval to resettle in the United States. Whitehead found that the proclamation “expressly states” it does not curtail applications for refugee status, and said excluding the group would violate the order’s own terms. The judge ordered federal agencies to resume processing for the 80 people, many of whom had arranged travel and relinquished housing abroad, and to expedite cases involving unaccompanied minors and Afghan refugees now waiting in Qatar. While the decision is likely to be appealed, it narrows the scope of the administration’s broader suspension of the U.S. refugee admissions program, which had stranded thousands since January. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously limited Whitehead’s earlier injunction, but the latest ruling applies specifically to refugees whose approvals pre-date the ban.