(RNS) — A federal judge has denied a request by the Trump administration to reconsider a ruling in a lawsuit brought by faith-based refugee resettlement agencies, ordering the government to begin immediately processing and admitting refugees who were conditionally approved before Jan 20.
In his ruling on Wednesday (April 9), U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead declared, “the Government must continue processing, admitting, and providing resettlement support to them — and funding (United States Refugee Admissions Program) partners to the extent necessary to do so— consistent with this Court’s previous order.”
Mark Hetfield, head of HIAS, a Jewish organization that works with refugee resettlement, and a plaintiff in the case, celebrated the ruling. “Even after multiple court actions have ordered their admission, the Trump Administration has sadistically forced them to linger in danger, anguish and uncertainty. As we say on Passover, Dayeinu! That’s enough,” Hetfield told RNS by text.
He added, “We pray the government finally respects the court order as well as human dignity, and admits the thousands of refugees.”
The judge’s ruling follows weeks of courtroom clashes between the government and three religious groups — HIAS, Church World Service and Lutheran Community Services Northwest — who are among the 10 organizations that have long partnered with the federal government on refugee resettlement. In all, seven of the organizations are faith-based — although the U.S. C …