Published on: Tuesday, September 12, 2017

On September 12th, the Supreme Court temporarily allowed the Trump administration to block refugees from entering the United States who are covered by the travel ban and also covered by a resettlement agreement between a refugee resettlement agency and the United States government.  On October 10th, the Court will hear oral argument to review lower court decisions blocking President Trump’s March 6th executive order, known as the travel ban.  When the Court agreed to hear broad challenges to the travel ban last June, it allowed most of the travel ban order to go into effect.  But, the Court left in place lower court orders barring the government from enforcing the ban with regard to named plaintiffs and other foreign nationals who have a “credible claim of a bona fide relationship or entity in the United States.”  The parties have disagreed what this phrase means and who is protected from the ban.  Last week, the Ninth Circuit upheld an Hawaii District Court opinion that interpreted the category of persons exempt from the travel ban more expansively than the government wanted—it would require the government to allow refugees covered by resettlement agreements to enter the United States.  Yesterday, the Supreme Court stayed the lower court’s order with respect refugees covered by resettlement agreements while the Court considers broad challenges to the revised travel ban.  

For a copy of the Court's order, click here

For defender information on potential immigration issues affecting clients, please click here.  For tools for determining client status, please click here.