Federal judge in Seattle questions Trump's move to block refugees

A federal judge in Seattle is questioning the U.S. government’s compliance with a court order to restart the refugee resettlement program.

The judge gave his ruling from the bench last Tuesday, Feb. 28. But, then, the very next day, the government sent out notices to all 10 refugee resettlement agencies in the U.S., terminating their contracts.

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At an emergency hearing in Seattle this week, Judge Jamal Whitehead said the timing “raises serious concerns about whether these actions are designed to circumvent the court’s ruling.”

Resettlement agencies are “having to make real-time decisions about what they can continue to offer to their clients and what security they can offer to their staff,” Melissa Keaney, one of the lawyers representing the resettlement agencies, said after the hearing. “I think the court recognized that that's irreparable harm, certainly.”

Keaney said the Trump administration cancelled the travel arrangements of tens of thousands of refugees who were vetted and booked on flights.

Judge Whitehead told the government to send the court regular updates describing its progress toward rebooking that travel.

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