We at Soft Landing Missoula are encouraged by yesterday’s unanimous ruling by a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The ruling extends the freeze on President Trump’s executive order of Jan. 27 that had, among other things, banned all new refugee arrivals in the U.S. for at least four months, banned all Syrian refugees indefinitely and banned travel to the U.S. by nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries.

The legal challenge of the President’s order is in its early stages, but the order does assure that refugees from all countries will continue to come to the United States for now–and that a fraction of those refugees will continue to come to Missoula.

The ruling also ensures a vigorous debate in the courts about whether the due process rights of refugees were violated by the order and whether the order violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments regarding religious discrimination and equal protection. 

Most importantly, however, the order underscores the importance of the rule of law in this country. The court firmly rejected the government’s argument that the Executive’s power, even in the areas of national security and immigration, is unreviewable. We remain a nation of laws.

Bottom line: We’re going to remain true to our values. With the invaluable service of the International Rescue Committee as our local resettlement agency–we will keep on welcoming refugees from around the world and helping them to integrate in our wonderful community and to thrive.