Judge Halts Trump Policy That Allows States to Bar Refugees

Reported today on The New York Times

For the full article visit:

Judge Halts Trump Policy That Allows States to Bar RefugeesPresident Trump's order allowing state and local officials to veto refugee resettlement in their communities is likely "unlawful," the judge said.A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily suspended a new Trump administration policy that allowed state and local authorities to opt out of receiving refugees, concluding that the policy would likely be found to be illegal.The preliminary injunction from Judge Peter J. Messitte of the United States District Court in Maryland blocks an executive order issued in September that empowered governors, county and city officials across the country to effectively reject refugees fleeing persecution around the world.President Trump's order forced the issue of refugee resettlement to the political forefront in communities from North Dakota to Massachusetts, where heated debate has occurred over whether to continue receiving refugees.Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas became the first governor to veto the resettlement of refugees in his state. Several mayors in Texas, including those in Houston, Dallas and Austin, expressed their support for taking in refugees.In his decision, the judge said that the executive order undermines the role of resettlement agencies by leaving the decision to receive refugees solely in the hands of states and localities."If they do not consent - apparently for any reason or for no reason - there will be no resettlement in that entire state or in that local community," the judge said in his ruling. "Resettlement agencies will be totally sidelined. In other words, as the screens in e-sports inevitably register: 'Game Over.'"The judge also said the order appears to run counter to the Refugee Act's stated purpose "to provide comprehensive and uniform p

Refugees