A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked an executive order from President Trump that would have allowed state and local governments to refuse to accept and resettle refugees.
“Giving states and local governments the power to consent to the resettlement of refugees — which is to say veto power to determine whether refugees will be received in their midst — flies in the face of clear Congressional intent,” U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte of Maryland wrote in his opinion blocking the order.
The administration’s order is “arbitrary and capricious as well as inherently susceptible to hidden bias,” the judge ruled, adding that refugee resettlement should continue as before.
The judge’s ruling granted a motion from three refugee resettlement agencies that work with the State Department all of which sued the Trump administration over the rule.
“The President’s order and resulting agency actions threaten to deprive thousands of refugees of their best chance to successfully build a new life and to burden thousands of U.S. families who are waiting to reunite with their parents, children, and other relatives fleeing persecution,” the groups wrote in their complaint, alleging that the administration’s rule has upended their operations and caused chaos.
The administration had argued that the policy supports both refugees and the communities they are placed in by ensuring they are a good fit for each other so that refugees will not sink into a cycle of dependence on public assistance.
“Close cooperation with State and local governments ensures that refugees are resettled in communities that are eager and equipped to support their successful integration into American society and the labor force,” the administration’s order reads. “State and local governments are best positioned to know the resources and capacities they may or may not have available to devote to sustainable resettlement, which maximizes the likelihood refugees placed in the area will become self-sufficient and free from long-term dependence on public assistance.”
The order throws a wrench into the plans of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who said this month that Texas will not accept refugees this fiscal year, becoming the first state to opt out of the refugee resettlement program.