Biden-Appointed Judge Requires Trump to Resettle 12K Refugees in American Communities | 6 May 2025 | A district court judge, appointed by former President [sic] Joe Biden, is requiring President Donald Trump to bring roughly 12,000 refugees to the United States in a new court order issued this week. Judge Jamal Whitehead, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in 2023 by Biden, says Trump must admit thousands of refugees who had been approved for resettlement in the U.S. before he signed an executive order to halt the refugee resettlement program. After taking office, Trump signed the executive order to suspend the refugee resettlement program. As expected, those contractors whose funding relies on resettling refugees in American communities sued the Trump administration to restore the program. In February, Whitehead blocked Trump from carrying out the executive order to suspend the refugee program, even as he admitted the president holds broad authority over immigration.