US appeals court rules Trump may suspend refugee admissions - JURIST - News

## Summary
News Joe Gratz , CC0, via Wikimedia Commons The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump has the power to suspend refugee admissions to the United States, though the court provided some relief to refugees who had been previously conditionally approved before the policy was implemented. This is because the statute gives the president the legal ability to suspend the entry of “all aliens or any class of aliens” whose entry would be “detrimental to the interests of the United States.” The ruling was influenced by the US Supreme Court decision in Trump v. Nevertheless, the Ninth Circuit did affirm the district court’s preliminary injunctions in part, namely with regard to refugees in the country and domestic organizations aiding refugees. The ruling was made after refugees and refugee resettlement organizations filed a lawsuit against a January 2025 executive order signed by President Trump, which suspended refugee resettlement programs in the United States.

## Article Content
News
Joe Gratz
, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
ruled
Thursday that President Donald Trump has the power to suspend refugee admissions to the United States, though the court provided some relief to refugees who had been previously conditionally approved before the policy was implemented.
The
Pacito v. Trump
ruling stated that the president has broad discretion to restrict the entry of non-citizens when it is necessary to protect national interests, according to federal immigration laws. The court found that the president likely has the legal authority, pursuant to
8 USC § 1182(f)
, to suspend the entry of non-citizens, including refugees. This is because the statute gives the president the legal ability to suspend the entry of “all aliens or any class of aliens” whose entry would be “detrimental to the interests of the United States.” The ruling was influenced by the US Supreme Court decision in
Trump v. Hawaii
, which gave the president broad discretion to make immigration decisions.
Nevertheless, the Ninth Circuit did affirm the district court’s preliminary injunctions in part, namely with regard to refugees in the country and domestic organizations aiding refugees. The appellate court concurred with the district court that, although the president is in charge of the border, the executive branch is not at liberty to dismantle domestic programs that Congress has mandated the government to execute. The appellate court ruled that the district court did not err in its findings that the government likely violated the law when it did not provide refugees with “reception and placement” services. The Ninth Circuit ruled that the government has a mandatory duty under
8 USC § 1522
to provide refugees with the aforementioned services as long as Congress has allocated the funds for the program.
The appellate court also concurred with the district court that the government likely violated the
Administrative Procedure Act
(APA) when it unilaterally terminated the cooperative agreements with resettlement organizations. The Ninth Circuit ruled that the government did not provide a “reasoned explanation” for the terminations and did not consider the “serious reliance interests” of refugees and the organizations that had organized their lives around the aforementioned government contracts.
The ruling was made after refugees and refugee resettlement organizations filed a lawsuit against a January 2025
executive order
signed by President Trump, which suspended refugee resettlement programs in the United States. The lawsuit, filed in a federal district court in Washington, was previously granted a preliminary injunction requiring the government to continue aspects of the refugee program. The government, however, appealed the decision, stating that the refugee program was within the president’s legal authority.
The dispute may ultimately reach the US Supreme Court if the parties seek further review of the Ninth Circuit’s decision.

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- The dispute may ultimately reach the US Supreme Court if the parties seek further review of the Ninth Circuit’s decision.

### Implications
- News Joe Gratz , CC0, via Wikimedia Commons The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump has the power to suspend refugee admissions to the United States, though the court provided some relief to refugees who had been previously conditionally approved before the policy was implemented.
- The dispute may ultimately reach the US Supreme Court if the parties seek further review of the Ninth Circuit’s decision.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers court, president, refugees topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 462.