U.S. Judge Temporarily Halts Controversial Muslim Travel Ban

On Friday, A U.S. judge temporarily blocked the controversial travel ban on travelers and immigrants ordered by President Donald Trump last week.

According to The Guardian, Seattle judge James Robart granted a temporary restraining order after hearing arguments from Washington state and Minnesota that the president’s order had unlawfully discriminated against Muslims and caused unreasonable harm. His decision must be recognized on a nationwide level.

“The executive order adversely affects the states’ residents in areas of employments, education, business, family relations, and freedom to travel,” he wrote.

“The work of the court is not to create policy or judge the wisdom of any particular policy promoted by the other two branches,” he added. “The work of the judiciary, and this court, is limited to ensuring that the actions taken by the other two branches comport with our country’s laws, and more importantly, our constitution.”

Washington state’s attorney general, Bob Ferguson, applauded the decision and stressed that it was an important legal victory against Trump and his administration.

“We are a nation of laws. Not even the president can violate the constitution,” Ferguson told reporters. “No one is above the law, not even the president.”

Of course, the president took to Twitter to whine about getting beat:

Despite the White House’s opposition to the ruling, on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would comply with Robart’s order.

“In accordance with the judge’s ruling, DHS has suspended any and all actions implementing the affected sections of the executive order,” said acting press secretary Gillian Christensen. “DHS personnel will resume inspection of travelers in accordance with standard policy and procedure.”

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) alerted airlines Friday night that the US government would quickly begin reinstating visas that were previously canceled, and advised airlines that refugees in possession of US visas should be admitted as well, CNN noted.

However, the White House isn’t going down without a fight; they vowed to overturn the ruling.

“At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file an emergency stay of this outrageous order and defend the executive order of the President, which we believe is lawful and appropriate. The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people,” press secretary Sean Spicer said.

As we previously reported, last Friday, Trump signed an executive order indefinitely banning Syrian refugees and temporarily suspending Muslims from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The executive order suspended the entry of refugees into the United States for 120 days and directs officials to determine additional screening ”to ensure that those approved for refugee admission do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States.”

Ironically, Trump’s new ban doesn’t include majority-Muslim countries Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which as Bloomberg pointed out are countries that he has done business with in the past, including golf courses in the United Arab Emirates and two luxury towers operating in Turkey.

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U.S. Judge Temporarily Halts Controversial Muslim Travel Ban  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com