New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 19 other state attorneys general, is urging the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to preserve the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), calling the Trump administration’s attempt to shut it down both unlawful and dangerous.
In an amicus brief filed in Pacito v. Trump, the multistate coalition supports a lower court’s ruling that blocked the president’s January 20 executive order indefinitely suspending refugee admissions and cutting federal support for resettlement agencies.
“Our country was founded by people fleeing persecution or in search of a better life,” said Attorney General James. “Now, this administration is attempting to slam that door shut, abandoning our values and putting countless lives at risk. States like New York are prepared and proud to welcome refugees into our communities, and we are urging the court to uphold the foundational values of our nation and protect this critical program.”
The executive order, issued on the president’s first day in office, seeks to halt all refugee admissions and eliminate federal funding for organizations that provide essential services to newly arrived refugees, including housing, food, and medical care. Under existing federal law, a president may only suspend the entry of a particular group if their presence is shown to harm the national interest.
To justify the refugee ban, the administration cited recent requests for federal assistance from New York and Massachusetts, which were related to asylum seekers—many of whom include Caribbean immigrants—lacking work authorization and in need of emergency shelter. But Attorney General James and her colleagues argue that the justification is fundamentally flawed, as it conflates two legally distinct groups: asylum seekers and refugees.
Refugees admitted through USRAP undergo years of vetting, are authorized to work immediately upon arrival, and are placed in communities based on capacity and coordination with local and state officials. The coalition states that the recent requests for assistance had no connection to these legal refugees and therefore cannot justify an across-the-board refugee ban.
The attorneys general emphasize that USRAP refugees contribute meaningfully to their states, including through economic development and essential workforce participation. In 2024, nearly half of all refugees resettled in the U.S. were welcomed by the coalition states. Cities like Utica, New York, which has welcomed many Caribbean and other immigrant communities, have experienced population growth and revitalization thanks to refugee resettlement.
The coalition also warns that the executive order has already harmed refugees currently living in the U.S. By halting funding and cutting ties with resettlement agencies, the federal government has deprived new arrivals of critical services, including housing, health care, and employment support. These disruptions have been especially damaging in states that have long worked closely with resettlement partners to integrate refugee populations, including many Caribbean families.
Attorney General Letitia James and the 19 other attorneys general are asking the court to uphold the lower court’s injunction, protect refugees and the communities that support them, and preserve a system that reflects the nation’s long-standing humanitarian values.
States joining New York in the amicus brief include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
