Advocates Challenge Trump Administration Plan To Let States And Towns Block Refugees

Faith leaders and members of human rights groups protest outside of the U.S. Capitol during a demonstration calling on Congress not to end refugee resettlement programs on Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington. Trump officials announced in September that it would allow localities to opt out of accepting refugees.

Jose Luis Magana / AP

A Trump administration plan to give state and local authorities the power to reject refugees from being resettled in their communities is headed for court.

Three organizations that help refugees find places to live when they first arrive in the United States filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the executive order on refugee resettlement that President Trump issued in September.

“It’s cruel and shortsighted,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of the agencies suing to block the order. “Refugees that have been waiting to be reunited with their families for years may be forced to settle hundreds of miles away,” she said.