Appeals court hands partial victory to Trump by allowing refugee ban to resume

A federal appeals court on Tuesday paused a lower court’s decision that blocked the Trump administration from rejecting new refugees, a small victory for the White House in its efforts to reshape immigration policy.

A three-judge panel in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals comprising two Republican-appointed judges and one appointed by a Democrat, said anyone conditionally approved by the government as a refugee before President Donald Trump took office must be allowed to keep their refugee status and enter the country. But Trump had the authority to halt acceptance of all new refugees, the panel found.