A Federal Court has stepped in again to stop the Trump administration from breaking U.S. immigration law. The Department of Homeland Security violated immigration laws because it issued a blanket denial for Iranian refugees, rather than providing specific reasons for the denials. The federal judge in California ordered the administration to reconsider the refugee requests of nearly 90 Iranians. Though the government may still deny the applications, it must at least provide a reason. This will give the claimants an opportunity to file an appeal. Now that applicants will have a specific reason for the denial, they will be able to appeal based on those grounds and fight their case.
These refugees are part of a specialized refugee program expanded in 2004 to include persecuted religious minorities in Iran. The program has been extremely successful since its expansion, but its future now hangs in the balance, as no new applicants have been accepted since January 2017. As the government continues to clamp down on immigration, many would-be immigrants face growing uncertainty. We will continue to speak out against these injustices and fight for the immigrant community.