Faith Groups React as State Department Ignores Court Order to Cut Refugee Service Contracts

On Thursday, faith organizations providing refugee resettlement services requested an emergency hearing from a federal judge after the U.S. Department of State abruptly terminated their contracts. This move came despite a recent nationwide injunction that had blocked the Trump administration’s suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

The groups argued in court that the State Department acted to end the contracts between the judge’s verbal granting of the preliminary injunction and the issuance of a formal written order. “The Court should restrain this flagrant attempt to evade the judicial branch’s constitutional responsibility to implement the relief announced just two days ago,” stated the emergency motion filed by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP).

A status conference is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. Pacific time. In an urgent response, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead issued the injunction during a court session on Tuesday, expressing concern about the immediate harm faced by refugees and resettlement agencies.

Judge Whitehead noted that evidence presented indicated tangible, irreparable damage: refugees left stranded, agencies forced to lay off hundreds, and indefinite suspensions of family reunifications. However, according to IRAP’s emergency filing, the State Department moved to terminate contracts with Church World Service and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) the day after the injunction was announced.

Despite multiple inquiries, the State Department has not commented on the matter. The emergency motion described the termination notices as a deliberate attempt to undermine the court’s authority and preempt its written ruling.

In Thursday’s filings, an email from the State Department stated that the award for resettlement services was being terminated “for the convenience of the U.S. Government” based on directives from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The email posited that this decision was a policy determination under the Secretary’s discretion.

Notably, Lutheran Community Services Northwest is represented by IRAP but was not mentioned in the filings regarding terminated agreements. The lawsuit arises from an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump on his first day in office, freezing refugee admissions and processing for four months while halting funding for resettlement organizations.

This order mandated regular reports from the State and Homeland Security departments to assess ongoing refugee resettlement in alignment with U.S. interests. IRAP initiated the lawsuit to advocate for the faith groups and refugees impacted by cancelled resettlement flights.