Judges rules Trump can halt refugee program but has to admit those already approved before admissions system suspended

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration can halt new refugee admissions but must allow entry for those who had already been conditionally approved before President Donald Trump suspended the program.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the president has the authority to restrict entry into the country, citing a 2018 Supreme Court decision that upheld Trump’s travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries during his first term. However, the three-judge panel ruled that refugees who had already been conditionally accepted before the suspension must still be admitted, according to the Associated Press.

The decision followed an emergency appeal after US District Judge Jamal Whitehead ruled that Trump could not nullify the law passed by Congress that established the refugee program. Whitehead also issued a second order on Tuesday that blocked the cancellation of refugee settlement contracts.

Trump had previously paused the refugee program during his first term and significantly reduced the number of annual refugee admissions.

Trump’s order, signed on his first day back in office, cited record levels of migration as a reason for suspending the program, arguing that communities cannot absorb large numbers of refugees. The administration stated that there are currently 600,000 individuals being processed to come to the US as refugees.

"The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees," the order stated.

The plaintiffs of the lawsuit argued that the administration had not demonstrated how admitting these refugees would harm the country.