A coalition of advocacy organizations and individuals filed a lawsuit Monday, challenging US President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions.

The complaint, filed by HIAS, Inc., Church World Service, Inc., and Lutheran Community Services Northwest, alongside multiple individual refugees, argues that the suspension is unconstitutional and unlawfully dismantles the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), a system carefully structured by Congress to resettle refugees fleeing persecution worldwide.

According to the lawsuit, the administration has also halted federal funding to refugee resettlement organizations, leaving them unable to provide services to new arrivals and disrupting a long-standing humanitarian infrastructure. Plaintiffs argue that these actions echo President Trump’s first-term refugee bans, which were struck down by multiple courts as unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs argue that the executive order and subsequent administrative actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The complaint also cites violations of Congress’s authority over immigration matters, emphasizing that the President lacks unilateral power to indefinitely suspend refugee admissions.

The complaint describes the devastating and immediate impact of the order, including several harrowing accounts of refugees who were set to travel to the US but had their flights canceled without notice. Plaintiff Pacito, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was scheduled to travel with his family on January 22, 2025, but was informed that his travel was abruptly canceled. Having already sold his belongings and given up his housing, he and his family were left stranded.

The lawsuit also details the financial strain imposed on refugee resettlement organizations. HIAS and Church World Service (CWS), which operate resettlement support centers worldwide, has already been forced to shut down key services and furlough staff due to the abrupt suspension of federal funding. Plaintiffs argue that the loss of this infrastructure will have long-term consequences, as rebuilding refugee resettlement networks will be a costly and slow process.

The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to immediately halt the implementation of the executive order and restore funding to refugee resettlement organizations. They are also requesting a declaratory judgment affirming that the suspension of refugee admissions is unlawful.

The executive order, titled “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” was issued on January 20, just hours after President Trump’s inauguration. It indefinitely suspends all refugee entries and the processing of refugee applications, creating uncertainty for thousands of individuals awaiting resettlement.