A federal judge in Seattle named James Robart has ordered a temporary countrywide block on President Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven countries with predominantly Muslim countries.
Robart’s verdict was against the lawyers Trump and his administration sent to court to say that American states don’t have the authority to take action against an executive order from the President. According to Robart, they do.
The ban has led to protests worldwide
President Trump’s travel ban, which was extremely divisive and controversial and led to protests against it all over the world (not just in the United States), has also caused confusion at airports.
People who work in customs told US airlines to led travellers from the banned countries onto their planes, because this court case has been underway, and now it’s reached a positive verdict.
The airline Qatar Airways has told news sources that they continue to allow every passenger with a valid travel document to board their planes. The Trump administration will be able to ban the Muslim-majority nations again if they are able to achieve an emergency stay from the court. The US Justice Department has vowed to appeal the Robart’s verdict.
White House backs Trump in a statement
The White House have released a statement supporting Trump’s Muslim travel ban and backing his decision to sign an executive order of it, describing the order as “lawful and appropriate.” The statement went on to say that the purpose of Trump’s order is “to protect the homeland,” and said that Trump has “the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.”
However, no everyone agrees that he is doing that.
Hollywood starlet Angelina Jolie says that Trump is “playing with fire” and inviting into the country the very extremism that he’s trying to keep out. There have been fiery protests all over the US as well as other countries that the ban doesn’t even affect but who want their voice heard like the UK. A lot of naysayers were calling the protests pointless against Trump’s order, but it seems those naysayers underestimated the power of the people and the democracy of the American Government.
Following Robart’s verdict, US airports will now be going against Trump’s wishes and ignoring his now-overruled executive order to instead allow travellers from the banned countries with suspended visas to enter the country.
Trump’s order is anti-refugee
Trump’s executive order also puts a halt to letting any refugees into the United States for 120 days, suspending what is called the US Refugee Admissions Programme for 120 days.
120 days is a long time for refugees in a terrifying, hostile country that’s being bombed by the very country that’s now forcing them to stay for at least another four months, not to mention the ISIS terrorists in their neighbourhood.
The 120-day suspension does not apply to Syrian refugees, whose ban is indefinite and could go on for four years if Trump wants. The ban also prohibits travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days, even if they have a visa, because visas from those countries are being suspended.
