A federal judge in Seattle has granted a temporary restraining order on the travel ban imposed by the Donald Trump administration for people from seven majority-Muslim countries. The court was moved by the state of Washington and Minnesota. The order, passed by Judge James Robart on Friday, is applicable to the whole of United States.
Even though the court refused to put a stay order on the move, the restraining order will pose a big challenge for the Trump administration which will now have to appeal against it to impose the restriction on entries to the US. “It’s a wonderful day for the rule of law in this country,” Washington state solicitor general Noah Purcell told The Telegraph.
Around 60,000 visas have been revoked by the United States after Trump signed the order on January 27, the State Department said on Friday. “We will communicate updates to affected travelers following the 90-day review,” spokesperson William Cocks told Reuters. The countries directly affected by the order are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Earlier, it was reported that around 1,00,000 visas have been revoked under the new rule. The reports quoted a government attorney at a hearing in a federal court. The State Department said the Barack Obama administration issued more than 11 million visas to immigrants and non-immigrants in 2015.
While announcing the travel ban, Trump had said that the step would protect the country from terror attacks. The development had sparked protests at airports across the country. It had also been criticised by activists and politicians around the world.
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