Immigration Law
9th Circuit Ruling: Refugees with Conditional Approval Are Protected from Ban
March 26, 2025, 2:29 pm CDT
A federal appeals court has ruled that while new refugee admissions can be paused, those with prior conditional approvals must still be allowed entry into the United States.
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In a noteworthy legal development, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed that the Trump administration may halt new refugee admissions; however, it cannot prevent individuals who had received conditional approvals prior to the suspension date of January 20 from entering the country.
This ruling emerged from an emergency motion filed by the government, as detailed in reports from notable media outlets including the Associated Press, Washington Post, and New York Times. The court’s decision came on March 25, further defining the legal landscape surrounding immigration policy.
Previously, in February, U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead of the Western District of Washington blocked President Trump’s executive order aimed at suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. In his ruling, Judge Whitehead indicated that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail in showing that the order undermined congressional intent.
Following this, Judge Whitehead issued a preliminary injunction on March 25, mandating that the government restore cooperative agreements with refugee resettlement agencies that had been previously canceled.
The legal challenge that led to this court ruling was initiated by the International Refugee Assistance Project, representing several organizations including Church World Service and HIAS, along with individual plaintiffs impacted by the refugee ban.
Melissa Keaney, senior supervising attorney for litigation at the International Refugee Assistance Project, remarked on the significance of the ruling: “The court affirmed that the government must continue processing and admitting eligible refugees whose lives were upended by President Trump’s refugee ban. We welcome this continued relief for tens of thousands of refugees who will now have the opportunity to restart their lives in the United States and look forward to arguing this case in full.”
