Attorney General Bonta Files Amicus Brief in Support of Challenge to Refugee Ban and Refugee Funding Suspension

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as part of a coalition of 19 attorneys general, today announced filing an amicus brief in Pacito v. Trump in support of a challenge to the suspension of refugee entry and application processing, and the stop work orders for refugee resettlement agencies. In their brief, the attorneys general argue that the Trump Administration's Refugee Ban and Refugee Funding Suspension are unlawful, misrepresent the concerns and interests of states, and undermine states’ ongoing efforts to successfully assimilate and integrate newly arrived refugees.

“The foundation of our nation was built by people seeking to create a better life away from persecution,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Refugees are not a burden — they're a benefit to states. Refugees contribute to our communities both socially and economically as business owners, doctors, teachers, and neighbors. In California, we are home to approximately 50,000 refugee entrepreneurs who bring in an estimated $1.9 billion in business income collectively. The actions by the Trump Administration are unlawful and directly undermine the efforts of states like California to welcome people into our communities.”

Each year, thousands of refugees are admitted into the United States and welcomed into communities across the country where they can connect with services, resources, and members of their family or cultural community; these resources help them not just adjust but thrive. During the first Trump Administration, President Trump issued an executive order requiring states and towns to opt in if they wanted to resettle refugees; despite the order being quickly enjoined, 42 states and more than 100 mayors elected to opt in. States recognize the benefits of refugee resettlement and are proud to be home to large and diverse refugee populations, whose presence not only enriches the social fabric of our states and local communities, but also promotes a vibrant economy.

The Refugee Ban, which imposes by executive order an indefinite suspension on all refugee entry and refugee application processing, conflicts with the established Refugee Act by suspending entry and final approvals even for “follow-to-join” refugees — the spouses or unmarried under-21-year-old children of admitted refugees — despite Congress’s judgment that those persons “shall” be entitled to admission so long as they are not specifically barred on other grounds.

The Refugee Funding Suspension, which relies on the President's executive order regarding foreign aid, suspends federal funding for resettlement agencies that help refugees apply for admission and help refugees who have been admitted into our country and are already present in the states. The suspension directly prevents agencies from fulfilling their statutorily mandated task of providing basic needs and ensuring economic self-sufficiency and effective resettlement of refugees.

In the amicus brief, the coalition urges the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington to grant a preliminary injunction preventing this order from going into effect, arguing that both the Refugee Ban and the Refugee Funding Suspension are unlawful and:

• Conflict and misrepresent states interests, ignoring states’ existing role in the distribution of refugees before their placements; and
• Harm states by disrupting critical work to assimilate and integrate refugees by depriving them of basic needs and essential services.

In filing the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Washington, Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.  

A copy of the brief can be found here.