News & Resources
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT
Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
STATUS REPORT CONFIRMS GOVERNMENT IS UNDERMINING COURT RULING TO RESUME REFUGEE PROCESSING
(Seattle, WA) — Last night, the U.S. government filed a status report in Pacito v. Trump after a federal judge required the defendants to detail their efforts to resume refugee processing in accordance with the court’s preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s refugee ban. The lawsuit, challenging the suspension of refugee processing and funding to refugee-serving agencies, was filed by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) on behalf of Church World Service (CWS), HIAS, Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW), and nine impacted individuals.
During last week’s hearing, the government’s attorney was unable to specify a single concrete step the government had taken to comply with the injunction. Yesterday’s filing highlights efforts to restart Follow-To-Join processing for the family members of refugees already in the United States, but provides scant details about the majority of refugee processing. Indeed, the status report suggests refugees will experience additional delays in the future due to unspecified, upcoming security vetting changes. In the two weeks since the preliminary injunction order, none of the individual plaintiffs in the case have received any communication from the government about rebooking their travel or other steps to move their cases forward.
The following is a reaction from Melissa Keaney, Senior Supervising Attorney, Litigation, IRAP:
“This report raises more questions than it answers. By the government’s own admission, their suspension of refugee processing and funding has wreaked havoc on the refugee admissions program, leaving the government unable to even estimate for the court when the program will again be fully operational. Rather than showing progress, it confirms what was apparent when the government issued termination notices to resettlement agencies just 24 hours after the preliminary injunction went into effect: this administration’s flagrant intent to undermine and circumvent the judiciary and Congress.
To comply with the court’s order, the government must immediately resume all refugee processing and rebook travel for the thousands of refugees who had it canceled. Every day the Trump administration fails to fully comply with the court’s order, the greater the harm to refugees, and the greater risk to our democracy and the rule of law.”
Background and Resources
- Read the status report: HERE
- Access other court documents and related resources: HERE
- Read IRAP’s press release responding to last week’s emergency hearing: “Federal Judge Questions Timing of Termination of Resettlement Agency Contracts and Orders Government to Update Court on Restoration of Refugee Processing”
- Read quotes from the press conference following the preliminary injunction: HERE
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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