Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief (PDF) challenging President





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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
February 19, 2025




*Media Contact:*
Danny Wimmer <[email protected]>






AG Nessel Stands with Refugees Against President Trump’s Illegal Executive Order

*LANSING* – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief (PDF) [ [link removed] ] challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. The brief supports a lawsuit opposing the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to withhold critical, congressionally appropriated funding for refugee processing and services, an action that harms states, refugee communities, and the country’s longstanding commitment to welcome refugees escaping humanitarian crises in their homelands. 

The Refugee Act establishes a rigorous vetting process for individuals seeking asylum in the United States. Before entry, refugees undergo extensive security screening and are matched with resettlement agencies that provide critical assistance. Trump’s “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program” executive order indefinitely suspends refugee admissions and application processing, which Attorney General Nessel and the coalition argue directly contradicts federal law.    

Refugees who resettle in the United States are legally authorized to work and make significant economic contributions. In Michigan alone, refugees paid $217.9 million in state and local taxes in 2022 and contributed $1.9 billion to the state’s economy. Nationwide, refugee households hold an estimated $83.1 billion in spending power. 

The coalition argues Trump’s executive order unlawfully halts the entry and processing of refugee family members, including spouses and children, further separating families who were torn apart by war and persecution. By suspending federal funding for resettlement agencies, the coalition also argues the executive order cripples essential services that help newly arrived refugees integrate into their communities. 

Notable refugees include Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Grammy Award winner Gloria Estefan, and physicist Albert Einstein. Michigan has welcomed tens of thousands of refugees over the past few decades, including Michigan state Representative Mai Xiong [ [link removed] ], whose family fled Laos in the 1980s, and who became the first Hmong-American elected official in Macomb County in 2020. In 2024, Michigan resettled 4 percent of all refugees entering the United States.

“This illegal executive order is antithetical to what our nation was founded on,” Nessel said. “From Afghans who risked their lives helping our troops overseas to families fleeing floods, hurricanes, wars, and political violence, America has always been a refuge for those in need. The people who seek safety here are rarely a long-term burden. If anything, they become successful, contributing members of our communities. Yet, this executive order not only separates families but also cuts off funding for resettlement agencies that help refugees integrate and thrive. This is not who we are as a nation, and I will continue to stand with Michigan refugees and my colleagues against this unlawful order.”  

The amicus brief filed by Attorney General Nessel and the coalition of states supports a request for a preliminary injunction filed by a group of impacted refugees and refugee-serving agencies.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in filing today’s amicus brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

 

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