Seattle federal judge halts enforcement of Trump’s immigration order

In a court session in Virginia on Friday, government lawyers shared that over 100,000 visas have been revoked as a result of President Donald Trump’s January 27th executive order on immigration and travel. The Office of Immigration Litigation at the Civil Division of the Justice Department revealed entry has not been denied to any returning legal permanent residents. A temporary restraining order has been issued against removing lawful permanent residents until next Friday.

In an early test of President Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban,” a federal judge in Seattle ruled Friday to halt enforcement of parts of Trump’s week-old executive order on immigration.

U.S. District Judge James Robart ruled on a motion by the state of Washington for a temporary restraining order halting the parts of the order that block entry to the U.S. by refugees and certain immigrants from some Muslim-majority countries.

Robart’s ruling will temporarily halt enforcement of several provisions of Trump’s controversial executive order. Attorneys for the federal government are expected to appeal the ruling.

Friday’s was the first hearing in Washington state’s lawsuit filed Monday against Trump; state Attorney General Bob Ferguson argues the order is discriminatory and illegal. Amazon and Expedia filed declarations in support of Washington’s case, and the state of Minnesota moved to join the case Wednesday.

Following the ruling, Ferguson said Robart’s decision will provide immediate relief to those targeted in Trump’s order.

“I’m certain the president will not like this decision,” Ferguson said. “But it is his job, it is his obligation to honor it, and I’ll make sure he does.”

Caption

Demonstrators sit down in the concourse and hold a sign that reads “We are America.” More than 1,000 people gathered at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 to protest President Trump’s immigration ban. Trump signed an executive order the day before that barred citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the U.S. for the next 90 days and suspended the admission of all refugees for 120 days. The order was put on hold nationwide by a federal judge in New York at about the time the Seattle protest gathered.

A protester joins a chant.

TSA agents keep protesters out of the security lines.

More than 1,000 people gathered for the protest.

A man yells for TSA agents to join the demonstration.

Protesters wave signs and chant.

Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant raises a fist over the crowd.

Matt Sernett holds his daughter Wade, 5, atop his shoulders.

Protesters listen to speakers.

Protesters wave signs and chant.

Protesters hop on escalators.

Police officers block a security entrance.

Protesters crowd the terminal.

Protesters wave signs and chant.

Protesters fill a balcony and stairway.

Protesters wave signs and chant.

Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant speaks to the more than 1,000 people gathered at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Sabrina Sheikh, left, a naturalized citizen who immigrated here from Pakistan at age 2, and Arsalan Bukhari, right, hold up a flag that reads “We are America,” as more than 1,000 people gather at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Saturday, Jan. 28 to protest President Trump’s immigration ban.

The ruling comes after a week of confusion, protest and defiance against Trump’s executive order temporarily halting travel to the U.S. by nationals from seven Muslim majority nations and refugees from any country. The order also bans all refugees from Syria indefinitely.

Washington’s lawsuit, filed by Ferguson’s office, was the first suit brought by a state against the Trump administration over the order, but Massachusetts, Virginia, New York and the city of San Francisco have all filed or joined other suits against Trump over the order. Several individuals have filed suit as well.

Earlier Friday in Boston, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton sided with the administration and refused to extend a restraining order similar to the one Ferguson is seeking. At the same time a federal judge in Virginia, in a win for Trump’s opponents, allowed the state to join a lawsuit against the immigration restriction.

Ferguson argues that Trump’s order violates several clauses of the U.S. Constitution: The equal protection and due process clauses of the Fifth Amendment and the establishment clause of the First Amendment. Ferguson also argues the order violates several federal laws around immigration and religious protection.

Robart, a longtime attorney in private practice appointed to the federal bench in 2003 by President Bush, is expected to issue a formal written ruling in coming days. The federal government may ask the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to review the ruling, or appeal directly to the Supreme Court.

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