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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2025
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Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
REFUGEES ARRIVE IN UNITED STATES UNDER COURT ORDER
Named plaintiff in Pacito v. Trump and his family safely resettled in North Carolina
(Raleigh, NC) – Yesterday, “Pacito” – the named plaintiff in the lawsuit Pacito v. Trump – safely resettled with his family in North Carolina under a court order exempting him and other refugees from the Trump administration’s refugee ban. Several other refugee families are scheduled to arrive in the United States in the coming days.
Pacito v. Trump was filed by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) on behalf of Church World Service (CWS), HIAS, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW), as well as nine impacted individuals, including Pacito. The lawsuit challenges the ban and the abrupt withholding of millions of dollars in critical funds to refugee-serving agencies.
Pacito and his family are refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who sold all their belongings and were waiting at a transit center to travel to the United States when their flights were cancelled as a result of President Trump’s Executive Order suspending all refugee resettlement. After months of limbo and court orders directing the U.S. government to immediately process and admit 160 refugees whose confirmed travel had been cancelled, they were finally able to travel to their new home.
Upon arriving in the United States, Pacito shared the following reaction:
“I feel like I’m blessed. I was actually hopeless… [but] the minute the court said they’re going to process my case again, I was reborn. My energy was up again, I felt like now there is hope for the future. Now that I’m here, I don’t even have the words to express it. Someone who has never been a refugee cannot understand that refugees do suffer… they don’t even have basic things. But we pray and hope that this case will open the way for them and they get a chance to change their life.”
Following a status conference earlier this week, the district court signaled its plans to issue an order by the end of the week outlining next steps on the processing required for thousands of other refugees who had their travel booked prior to the refugee suspension and who relied on the U.S. promise of resettlement before those plans were abruptly cancelled.
The following are statements from the organizations involved in the lawsuit:
“We are delighted that Pacito and his family are finally receiving justice, after having been stranded so cruelly,” said Melissa Keaney, Senior Supervising Attorney in IRAP’s Litigation department. “Every individual that is able to reach safety in the United States matters and every one of them is a success story. But we cannot forget the thousands who are still languishing in dangerous conditions and longing to see their families again. They went through lengthy and arduous processes to get approved for resettlement, only to see the rug pulled out from under them. We will continue to fight this unlawful refugee ban and hold the Trump administration accountable to following the court’s orders.”
“Welcome to Pacito and all the new arrivals working hard to build better lives for their children,” said David Duea, CEO of Lutheran Community Services Northwest. “At LCSNW, we’re hopeful that more refugees in need will be placed with us, so we can offer the kind of Pacific Northwest welcome we’ve been known for over the past 50 years. It’s a joy to see families finally reuniting, finding safety, and having a chance to share their talents and cultures with our communities. Slowly but surely, the legal action we took is making a difference.”
“We welcome Pacito and his family, along with several other families arriving this week,” said Mark Hetfield, HIAS President. “Jewish tradition teaches that to save one life is to save an entire world, and we are honored to make a life-changing difference for each and every individual. But while we welcome these individuals, we also feel the grief of the knowledge that there are over 125,000 DHS approved refugees who have been stranded by the Trump administration. We will continue to fight for their safety and their rights.”
“The spirit of welcome has always been central to our nation’s ethos, and, indeed, to our faith. The Pacito family’s arrival, despite this administration’s relentless efforts to ban refugees from our shores, demonstrates that this spirit remains alive. In the coming weeks, we will continue to advocate on behalf of the thousands of other refugee families that, like Pacito’s, have been callously left in harm’s way by the suspension of the US refugee program,” said Rick Santos, President and CEO of Church World Service. “We are elated for the Pacito family. We stand ready to welcome all those impacted by this ruling. And we trust that by resisting cruel and xenophobic policies that turn our backs on those in need, we will carry forward our nation’s spirit of welcome.”
Additional Resources
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
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