United States court denies Donald Trump administration’s request to reinstate travel ban

In a major blow to President Donald Trump, a U.S. federal appeals court today rejected a request by his administration to immediately reinstate travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.

The State Department and Homeland Security acted swiftly to the suspension of the travel ban and all valid visas that were cancelled after the initial executive order were reinstated.

President Donald Trump on Saturday morning (Sunday NZ Time) ripped into a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block enforcement of his controversial travel ban.

The temporary restraining order immediately stops federal officials from enforcing parts of the ban that target immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries and stops them from enforcing parts of the ban that grant exemptions based on religion.

Federal judge James Robart ruled there were grounds to challenge the ban after Washington and Minnesota states challenged Mr Trump’s executive order. The government has suspended the ban’s enforcement in compliance with order of the order of USA district judge James Robart. If the restraining order is lifted, travelers from the seven majority-Muslim countries will be immediately barred from entering the US, which the plaintiffs said would “unleash chaos again”.

The federal government was “arguing that we have to protect the USA from individuals from these countries, and there’s no support for that”, said the judge, James Robart of Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington, an appointee of President George W. Bush, in a decision delivered from the bench. The White House confirmed late on Friday that it believed the ban to be “lawful and appropriate” and that the US Department of Justice would file an emergency appeal.

He added: “When a country is no longer able to say who can, and who cannot, come in and out, especially for reasons of safety and security – big trouble!” “An appeal leaves the order in place while the appeal is processed – unless there’s a stay”, she said.

Meanwhile, Trump, who is two weeks into his presidency and now on his first “getaway weekend” at his Mar-a-Lago resort, tweeted early Saturday morning (as is his habit) about the matter. “It puts a halt to President Trump’s unconstitutional and unlawful executive order”, Ferguson said. The court says it will weigh in on whether to lift Robart’s ruling after it receives additional briefs from the administration and plaintiffs.

The White House argues the measure will make the country safer.

Robart’s ruling unleashed a Twitter rant by the president in which he dismissed Robart as a “so-called judge” and referred to the decision as “ridiculous”.