Appeals Court Rules Trump Can Suspend Refugee Admissions

The president froze the admission and processing of refugees in executive orders on the first day of his second term.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington on Feb. 17, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump has legal authority to indefinitely suspend the admission of foreign nationals who are trying to enter the United States through its refugee resettlement program, a federal appeals court ruled on March 5.

Trump froze refugee resettlement programs as he took office in January 2025.