Court upholds ban on order letting states refuse refugees

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a federal judge’s ruling that halted a Trump administration policy that gave state and local governments the right to refuse to resettle refugees. The three-judge panel said Friday that President Donald Trump’s executive order that required both state and local entities to give their consent before allowing refugees to be placed in their areas would undermine the 1980 Refugee Act. That law set by Congress was designed to allow resettlement agencies to find the best place for a person to thrive while working with local and state officials.