WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 28, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A federal judge in Brooklyn on Saturday night ordered a temporary injunction against President Donald Trump’s executive order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen — from entering the United States.
Trump’s order bars citizens of those countries from entering the U.S. for the next 90 days. It also suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days. Trump said the order’s intent was “to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States.”
But when Trump signed the order late Friday afternoon, an untold number of travelers targeted by the ban were already in transit. When they arrived with valid visas at U.S. destination airports, they were not allowed to leave and faced deportation.
Sending travelers home could cause them “irreparable harm,” said Judge Ann Donnelly, in making her ruling. Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, had argued the case.
“This ruling preserves the status quo and ensures that people who have been granted permission to be in this country are not illegally removed off U.S. soil,” Gelernt said.
ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero shared his reaction to the ruling:
“Clearly the judge understood the possibility for irreparable harm to hundreds of immigrants and lawful visitors to this country,” Romero said in a statement released by the ACLU.
“Our courts today worked as they should as bulwarks against government abuse or unconstitutional policies and orders. On week one, Donald Trump suffered his first loss in court.” Read the full court decision by clicking here.
At least one traveler interviewed by ABC News was deported after landing in Chicago, ABC News reported.
Thousands gathered at John F. Kennedy International Airport to protest the president’s order, chanting “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here. No hate, no fear, Muslims are welcome here,” according to ABC News. Additional protests were staged at major airports in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle/Tacoma.
ABC reported that two Iraqis detained at JFK were released, but 10 other travelers remained at the airport as of Saturday night. Chicago O’Hare International Airport detained one passenger. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport detained nine passengers. Six were detained at Philadelphia International Airport, as were about 20 at Washington Dulles International Airport. At Los Angeles International Airport, at least seven were detained, according to an ABC report.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, released a statement on Friday:
“Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty tonight as a grand tradition of America, welcoming immigrants, that has existed since America was founded, has been stomped upon,” Schumer said.
“Taking in immigrants and refugees is not only humanitarian but has also boosted our economy and created jobs decade after decade. This is one of the most backward and nasty executive orders that the president has issued.”
