Judge Orders Government to Let In About 12,000 Refugees

The ruling came after parties differed on the parameters of an appeals court opinion.

The U.S.–Mexico border fence ends with a gap east of Sasabe, Ariz., on Jan. 20, 2025. John Moore/Getty Images

The U.S. government must let some 12,000 refugees into the United States, a federal judge ruled on May 5.

“The Government’s obligation to process, admit, and provide statutorily mandated resettlement support services to the Injunction-Protected Refugees is immediate,” U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead wrote in the 14-page decision.