State Department trying to evade refugee admissions court order, aid groups say

Seattle — Refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Trump's administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation's refugee admissions program.

U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, in Seattle, had determined Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he can't nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, said Mr. Trump's actions amounted to an "effective nullification of congressional will" and from the bench, he granted the aid groups' request for a preliminary injunction blocking Mr. Trump's executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. Whitehead promised a written ruling in the next few days.