Judge Lifts Trump Ban on Refugees From 11 Countries

A federal judge in Seattle on Saturday partially lifted a Trump administration ban on certain refugees after two groups argued that the policy prevented people from some mostly Muslim countries from reuniting with family living legally in the United States, the AP reports. US District Judge James Robart heard arguments Thursday in lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union and Jewish Family Service, which say the ban causes irreparable harm and puts some people at risk. Government lawyers argued that the ban is needed to protect national security. Robart ordered the federal government to process certain refugee applications. He said his order applies to people "with a bona fide relationship to a person or entity" in the US.

President Trump restarted the refugee program in October "with enhanced vetting capabilities." The day before his executive order, top officials sent a memo to Trump saying certain refugees must be banned unless additional security measures are implemented. It applies to the spouses and minor children of refugees who have already settled in the US and suspends the refugee program for people coming from 11 countries, nine of which are mostly Muslim. In his decision, Robart wrote that "former officials detailed concretely how the Agency Memo will harm the United States' national security and foreign policy interests." Robart said his order restores refugee procedures in programs to what they were before the memo and noted that this already includes very thorough vetting of individuals.

(More Trump travel ban stories.)