A new federal lawsuit seeks to overturn the Trump administration’s suspension of refugee admissions and to restore funds Congress already approved to serve refugees recently admitted to the country.
Three refugee service organizations and nine individuals filed Pacito v. Trump in the Western District Court of Washington at Seattle Feb. 10 asserting the president’s actions will be disastrous for refugees and the agencies and volunteers trained to assist them.
Linda Evarts
“President Trump’s orders are blatantly illegal. They are designed to decimate the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and the infrastructure supporting refugee resettlement in the United States. They violate Congress’ authority to make immigration laws by trying to unilaterally override the Refugee Act,” said Linda Evarts, senior supervising attorney for U.S. litigation with the International Refugee Assistance Project, during a press briefing about the litigation.
At issue is the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program, which carefully selects and extensively screens candidates for resettlement. Upon arriving in the United States with the help of resettlement organizations, refugees are adopted by religious and civic communities trained to guide them through their transition into American society. Historically, federal funds were made available to major resettlement organizations, like co-plaintiff Church World Service, to coordinate volunteers and provide initial housing, food and clothing costs.
Rick Santos
“Since the Refugee Act of 1980, which is the beginning of the U.S. refugee admissions program, refugee resettlement has been a partnership, a joint effort between us, our faith communities who bring significant private resources to the arrangement, and the government who provides a regulatory framework and resources,” CWS President Rick Santos said during the briefing.
Admissions levels always have fluctuated depending on presidents, wars, famines and other disruptive world events. According to the Migration Policy Institute, annual refugee admissions totals hung above 200,000 during the Carter and Reagan administrations before leveling off between 60,000 and 80,000 during the early and mid-2000s. Resettlement has fluctuated wildly since Trump’s first term in office, falling to an all-time low of 11,400 in 2021 before rebounding to 100,034 during Joe Biden’s final year in the White House.
The lawsuit seeks to prevent another gutting of the system and to maintain the obligation of church and nation to welcome persecuted individuals and families with love and generosity, Santos said. “The Christian and Hebrew Scriptures are clear that we’re called to welcome foreigners into our lands and treat them with compassion.”
Trump’s executive order also causes injury to religious groups who minister to refugees resettled in the U.S., Santos added. “Our local faith community partners and volunteers are now unable to do the work they have done faithfully for decades. Many have already worked to prepare homes for families that now may never arrive. The executive actions have also significantly harmed our ability to continue to serve refugee families who are already in our communities in need of ongoing support.”
The International Refugee Assistance Project filed the lawsuit on behalf of Church World Service, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Lutheran Community Social Services Northwest. Plaintiffs also include a number of individuals with stakes in the resettlement system, including refugees and members of congregations desiring to serve refugees.
“When I was given the chance to move to America, it felt like I was given a second chance at life,” said plaintiff Pacito, a Congolese refugee recently barred from entering the U.S.
“Now I don’t know what we’re going to do; we have nothing.”
“The day before we were scheduled to travel, I received a call that our flight was cancelled. I hoped there was a mistake. That night, my wife, my baby and I slept outside the transit center in the parking lot, along with other refugee families waiting to travel to the United States. In the morning, they told us President Trump had cancelled all refugee travel. Now I don’t know what we’re going to do; we have nothing.”
Ali, a 22-year-old Iraqi plaintiff admitted into the country just before Trump suspended resettlements, is struggling now that federal assistance has been frozen.
“I came here with $120, and don’t yet have family or friends in America, so I rely on refugee assistance for my rent, my food, really my survival,” he said. “Unfortunately, I received an email that there is an indefinite delay of my benefits. I have no idea when I will get them again, and don’t know how I will survive without them.”
Plaintiff Rachel described the excitement she felt as her synagogue prepared to welcome an Afghan family to the U.S. Members of the congregation had undergone extensive training to be hosts, and the family had passed through years of vetting.
“Then the day after Inauguration Day, I was watching the news and saw that the refugee program was suspended. I immediately felt an overwhelming sense of dread and hopelessness. It was really hard to tell the family, and they were absolutely devastated. To make things worse, the father of the family died suddenly a few days later, and I personally think it’s possible the stress of the news contributed to his death.”
Mark Hetfield
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society President Mark Hetfield said his organization and 30 local partners in 17 states were eagerly anticipating greeting 621 refugees in February alone. “These refugees had been vetted, interviewed and approved for travel by the Department of Homeland Security. But on Inauguration Day, we had to tell our partners these refugees will no longer be coming because they were stopped by this cruel and unlawful refugee ban.”
David Duea
The Trump administration left refugee advocates no choice but to sue, said David Duea, CEO of Lutheran Community Services Northwest. “For the refugees we serve, this lawsuit represents a last resort — a necessary step to uphold our commitment to providing safety, stability and hope for those seeking refuge. The Pacific Northwest is a welcoming region for refugees. Our communities in the Portland and Seattle areas simply want to keep doing their part.”
But the suit could land plaintiff organizations in further hot water with the White House, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance have criticized religious groups tied up in refugee resettlement work as money-grubbers.
Elon Musk, Trump’s new leader of government efficiency, singled out the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America specifically, claiming it has misused federal grants designated for refugees. And Vance criticized the Roman Catholic Church, of which he is a member, in the same way.
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