About 120 refugees were expected to enter the country Monday, with hundreds more to follow, after a federal court lifted President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration, The Wall Street Journal reports.
"President Trump's ban against refugees and Muslims was not only un-American, but Judge Robart found it to be unconstitutional. Thanks to Judge Robart's order protecting the Constitution, thousands of refugees who were bound for the U.S. can finally find protection — and a warm welcome — here. But this won't be the end of our fight to keep America's door open to refugees," said Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of resettlement agency HIAS, in a statement.
"We expect refugees of all nationalities to start arriving again soon. We have been communicating with the Department of State Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration, who oversees the Refugee Admission Program, as well as our affiliates across the country who are resuming preparation to receive refugee clients."
Resettlement officials said Monday was a relatively light day for refugees, but they expect that number to rise over the next few days.
"We're expecting that refugee number to jump quite a bit as we go through the week, as we're getting notifications in some cases just a few hours before people depart," said a spokesman for the International Refugee Committee to the Journal.
Despite the Trump's administration's efforts, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Justice Department's request to reinstate the order.