Article snippet: SEATTLE — A federal judge in Seattle on Saturday partially lifted a Trump administration ban on certain refugees after two groups argued that the policy prevented people from some mostly Muslim countries from reuniting with family living legally in the United States. Judge James Robart of Federal District Court in Seattle heard arguments Thursday in lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union and Jewish Family Service, which said the ban caused irreparable harm and put some people at risk. Government lawyers argued that the ban was needed to protect national security. Judge Robart ordered the federal government to process certain refugee applications. He said his order applies to people “with a bona fide relationship to a person or entity within the United States.” President Trump restarted the refugee program in October “with enhanced vetting capabilities.” The day before the executive order, Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state; Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of homeland security; and Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, sent a memo to Mr. Trump saying that certain refugees must be banned unless additional security measures were put in place. The memo applies to the spouses and minor children of refugees who have already settled in the United States and suspends the refugee program for people coming from 11 countries, nine of which are mostly Muslim. In his decision, Judge Robart wrote that former government officials explained how the mem... Link to the full article to read more