Blow for Trump as bid to reinstate travel ban flops

  Los Angeles, Sunday

The US federal appeals court Sunday morning rejected President Donald Trump administration’s request to reinstate a travel ban blocked by a federal judge on Friday.

The ruling means the travel ban will remain suspended until the full case has been heard. The court gave the White House and the states challenging it a deadline of Monday (today) to present more arguments.

Two states argued that the travel ban, affecting people from seven mainly Muslim countries, was unconstitutional. In its appeal, the Justice Department said Judge James Robart had overreached by “second guessing” the president on a national security matter.

It also argued that only the president could decide who can enter or stay in the US. In Friday’s case, the Justice Department had argued that states did not have the authority to challenge a presidential executive order.

Lawyers for the states of Washington and Minnesota had argued that the ban was unconstitutional because it denied people with valid entry documents the right to travel without due process.

It also violated freedom of religion rights by appearing to target Muslims, they said.

Ahead of the ruling, Trump had assured reporters his ban would be reinstated.

“We’ll win. For the safety of the country, we’ll win,” he said.

Iran’s retaliation

Iraq, one of the countries named in the ban, has praised the revocation of the travel ban as a “move in the right direction”.

Iran has also responded to Judge Robart’s ruling by saying it would allow a US wrestling team to compete in a World Cup event it is hosting later this month. The US wrestlers were initially denied visas after Iran said it would ban Americans in retaliation for Trump’s order.

However, Trump has called Judge Robart’s ruling “ridiculous”, described him as a “so-called judge” and vowed to restore the ban. Robart has served on the federal bench since 2004 after nomination by the then President George W Bush.

Friday’s ruling has also seen visa holders from the affected nations scramble to get flights to the US, fearing they have a slim window to enter.

Meanwhile, from London and Paris to New York and Washington, thousands of people took to the streets to protest Trump’s travel ban amid a fierce legal battle over the order.

The biggest demonstration by far on Saturday took place in the British capital, where an estimated 10,000 people turned out, chanting “Theresa May: Shame on You” to denounce the British prime minister’s support for the new US leader.

In an executive order issued on January 27, Trump slapped a blanket ban on nationals of seven countries—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen—barring their entry to the United States for 90 days. -BBC

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