Trumps latest travel ban blocked by federal judge
BBC
London: US President Donald Trumps latest attempt to bar citizens of eight countries from entering the US has suffered a second federal court defeat, reports BBC.
Judges in Hawaii and Maryland issued separate temporary restraining orders on the open-ended travel ban.
Both judges cited Trumps campaign description of it as a Muslim ban.
The policy targets travellers from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea, as well as some Venezuelan officials.
Two previous iterations of the ban targeted six Muslim-majority countries, and were widely referred to by Trump officials as a Muslim ban.
On Wednesday - the day the measure was meant to take effect, a coalition of Muslim and civil rights groups plan to march from the White House to the Trump Hotel and then on to the headquarters of Customs and Border Patrol agency.
In Maryland, Judge Theodore Changs ruling early on Wednesday said the latest version of the ban generally resembles President Trumps earlier description of the Muslim ban.
The initial announcement of the Muslim ban, offered repeatedly and explicitly through President Trumps own statements, forcefully and persuasively expressed his purpose in unequivocal terms, Judge Chuang wrote.
The Maryland decision came after a judge in Hawaii ruled that the revised policy was fulfilling Mr Trumps campaign promise for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States, despite the addition of North Korea and Venezuela.
US District Judge Derrick Watson, who blocked Mr Trumps last travel ban in March, issued the Tuesdays restraining order on the grounds that the president did not have the powers under federal immigration law to impose such restrictions.
The presidents controversial travel bans have each been frustrated by the courts to some degree:
In Honolulu, Judge Watson decided the new policy suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor.
He said it lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six [of the] specified countries would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.
His decision temporarily blocks the ban on all targeted countries except North Korea and Venezuela.
The ban is also facing court challenges from Maryland, Washington state, Massachusetts, California, Oregon and New York.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement the latest court order was dangerously flawed and undercuts efforts to keep Americans safe.
These restrictions are vital to ensuring that foreign nations comply with the minimum security standards required for the integrity of our immigration system and the security of our nation, she said.
She said the White House was confident the presidents lawful and necessary action would eventually be upheld by the courts.
As it stands, the Supreme Court has delayed its consideration of the case from October, asking all parties to resubmit briefs to the court accounting for the changes made between the second and third versions of the order.
