Massachusetts Attorney General has taken a strong stance alongside a coalition of 20 attorneys general, pushing back against the Trump Administration's move to suspend refugee admissions under the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program (USRAP). AG Campbell co-led the filing of an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, aiming to support the challenge against Executive Order 14163, which has put an indefinite stop on refugee entries and threatened the very framework designed to support them, according to a report by mass.gov.
In a bid to defend individuals who are not only legally in the U.S. but also diligently vetted and authorized to work, AG Campbell pointed out the valuable contributions of USRAP refugees to society. "Congress created USRAP to ensure that individuals, who are legally admitted to our country, authorized to work, and have undergone rigorous vetting, would have the support and technical assistance to navigate state agencies and access services as they seek to integrate into our society," said AG Campbell on mass.gov. The coalition's brief emphasizes the financial boon these refugees represent, with reported contributions of $124 billion more to the federal government than they consumed in public services between 2005 and 2019—a not insignificant figure that underscores the flaw in the Order's rationale.
However, the President's Order has been criticized for disregarding the Immigration and Nationality Act, which requires that before suspending any category of people's entry to the U.S., there must be specific findings indicative of their potential harm to the national interest. This point is not taken lightly by the attorneys general, who allege that the Executive Order included no such findings tailored to USRAP refugees. In their collective opinion, the lower courts acted correctly when they blocked the President's Order, and now they are urging the Appeals Court to uphold those preliminary injunctions, thus preventing further implementation and enforcement of the Order, as reported by mass.gov.
Despite claims from the Trump Administration that refugees are a financial burden, the attorneys general fired back, presenting a body of evidence to the contrary. They argue that refugees are not only a boon for the up-keep of states, but their presence and active participation in the workforce bolster the very fabric of America's economy. AG Campbell and her counterparts assert that cutting off federal funding for resettlement organizations hampers their ability to provide basic needs for refugees, essentially hindering their assimilation and economic self-sustainability, contradicting Congressional intent. This line of reasoning was maintained in the brief, which was joined by the attorneys general of states including California, New York, and Washington, forming a formidable front against the Order.
Assisting AG Campbell in carrying the banner of refugee advocacy, Attorney General Nick Brown of Washington co-led this multistate effort. The legal battle brings together attorneys general from a diverse range of states like Arizona, Illinois, and Minnesota, among others. Their collaboration in the cause is a testament to a shared commitment across the nation to uphold the values that USRAP stands for and to shield those who seek refuge on American shores from policy decisions deemed to undercut the country's founding principles.
