A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily suspended a new Trump administration policy that allowed state and local authorities to opt out of receiving refugees, concluding that the policy would likely be found to be illegal. The preliminary injunction from Judge Peter J. Messitte of the United States District Court in Maryland blocks an executive order issued in September that empowered governors, county and city officials across the country to effectively reject refugees fleeing persecution around the world. President Trump’s order forced the issue of refugee resettlement to the political forefront in communities from North Dakota to Massachusetts, where heated debate has occurred over whether to continue receiving refugees. Greg Abbott of Texas became the first governor to veto the resettlement of refugees in his state. Several mayors in Texas, including those in Houston, Dallas and Austin, expressed their support for taking in refugees.

Source: New York Times January 15, 2020 18:00 UTC