BREAKING NEWS: US district judge puts temporary block nationwide on Trump's immigration travel ban

  • Judge James Robart temporarily blocked Trump's immigration ban on Friday
  • The ruling was made effective immediately, meaning the restrictions could be lifted straight away  
  • Trump's administration could still appeal the ruling and have the policy upheld
  • Washington's Attorney General said: 'No one is above the law -- not even the President' 
  • Trump's order last week sparked protests nationwide and confusion at airports 
  • Tens of thousands of visas have been revoked since the executive order was signed

By Cheyenne Roundtree For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 19:49 EST, 3 February 2017 | Updated: 21:04 EST, 3 February 2017

A federal judge in Seattle on Friday put a nationwide block on U.S. President Donald Trump's week-old executive order barring nationals from seven countries from entering the United States.

The judge's temporary restraining order represents a major challenge to Trump's controversial action, although his administration could still appeal the ruling and have the policy upheld.

The Seattle judge, James Robart, made his ruling effective immediately on Friday, suggesting that travel restrictions could be lifted straight away, although on a confusing night, no one appeared certain..

The state's attorney general, Bob Ferguson, said: 'This decision shuts down the executive order right now.' He said he expected the federal government to honor the ruling.

'No one is above the law -- not even the President'. 

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A federal judge in Seattle on Friday put a nationwide block on President Donald Trump's week-old executive order barring nationals from seven countries from entering the United States

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson talks to reporters following a hearing in federal court in Seattle. He said: 'No one is above the law — not even the President.'

The ruling comes after Washington state and Minnesota urged a nationwide hold on the executive order that has launched legal battles across the country.

'The state has met its burden in demonstrating immediate and irreparable injury,' Robart said.

Trump's order last week sparked protests nationwide and confusion at airports as some travelers were detained. The White House has argued that it will make the country safer.

Judge Robart's decision was an echo of many citizen's beliefs that America has and will always welcome immigrants, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos who was one of the biggest advocates for lifting the ban.  

Bezos supported the lawsuit against the government that was filed in Washington, the same state as Amazon's headquarters.

 Judge James Robart in Seattle (pictured) ruled against government lawyers' claims that the states did not have the standing to challenge Trump's order and said they showed their case was likely to succeed on Friday

Washington became the first state to sue, with Attorney General Bob Ferguson saying the order was causing significant harm to residents and effectively mandates discrimination. Minnesota joined the suit this week. 

The two states won a temporary restraining order while the court considers the lawsuit, which says key sections of Trump's order are illegal and unconstitutional. 

A Customs and Border Patrol spokesman told CNN that the agency will review the order and comply with all court orders.  

Washington Solicitor General Noah Purcell said: 'We only challenged the parts that are actually affecting people immediately, which are the parts about refugees and the parts about targeting these seven countries.

'The parts that have getting so much attention and have been causing such immediate harm to people, stranding them oversees and such, are enjoined right away.' 

Federal attorneys had argued that Congress gave the president authority to make decisions on national security and admitting immigrants.

People protest in a demonstration in Cleveland. The demonstration was organized in protest of President Donald Trump's immigration order

Trump's order last week sparked protests nationwide and confusion at airports as some travelers were detained. The White House has argued that it will make the country safer

The lawsuit says Trump campaigned on a promise to ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. and kept up that rhetoric while defending the travel ban. 

Lawyers pointed to dozens of exhibits of speeches and statements Trump has made.

'The executive order effectively mandates that the states engage in discrimination based on national origin and/or religion, thereby rescinding the states' historic protection of civil rights and religious freedom,' the complaint said, calling it a violation of the U.S. Constitution. 

The lawsuit ultimately seeks to permanently block parts of the executive order that suspend immigration from the seven Muslim-majority countries, put the U.S. refugee admissions program on hold and halt entry of Syrian refugees.

Ferguson said the order is causing significant harm to Washington residents, businesses and its education system.

It will reduce tax revenue and impose significant costs on state agencies, as well as make it impossible for some state employees and students to travel, he said.

Washington-based businesses Amazon, Expedia and Microsoft support the state's efforts to stop the order. They say it's hurting their operations, too. 

LEGAL CHALLENGES TO TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN IN OTHER STATES 

Washington wasn't the only state to have legal battles with the immigration ban. Here are the following challenges that took place in six other states over the past few days.

VIRGINIA

A judge is allowing Virginia to join a lawsuit challenging the travel ban.

Friday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema greatly expands the scope of the lawsuit, which was initially focused only on legal permanent residents, commonly called green-card holders. Brinkema indicated a willingness to consider cases involving anyone who had been issued a visa and had it revoked.

A government lawyer in the case said more than 100,000 people have had visas revoked since the ban went into effect, but the State Department later said the number was close to 60,000. The higher figure included visas that were actually exempted by the travel ban, as well as expired visas.

MASSACHUSETTS

A federal judge in Boston has declined to extend a temporary injunction against President Donald Trump's travel ban.

U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton late Friday refused to renew an order prohibiting the detention or removal of persons as part of Trump's executive order on refugees and immigrants.

That means the seven-day, temporary injunction granted Jan. 29 will expire as scheduled Sunday.

HAWAII

Hawaii is suing the federal government to stop President Donald Trump's travel ban on people from seven majority Muslim countries.

Attorney General Doug Chin says Trump's executive order keeps Hawaii families apart and keeps residents from traveling. He says it degrades values Hawaii has worked hard to protect.

Chin says the order also will make foreign travelers feel unwelcome, which is a problem for Hawaii's tourism-powered economy.

Hawaii filed the lawsuit in federal court in Honolulu on Friday.

NEW YORK

A Brooklyn judge on Thursday extended a temporary restraining order to Feb. 21, but the Justice Department said it will ask her to throw out the case.

U.S. District Judge Carol Amon's ruling extended a stay that had been issued Saturday by a different judge and would have expired Feb. 11. Amon extended the order to give more time the government and civil liberties organizations to file paperwork.

MICHIGAN

A federal judge in Detroit says U.S. green-card holders shouldn't be affected by the order.

The Arab-American Civil Rights League argued in a suit filed this week in Detroit's U.S. District Court that the executive action is unconstitutional and targets immigrant communities.

A restraining order released Friday from U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts covers legal permanent residents, not some others that also are part of the lawsuit. She says lawyers for the government clarified to her that the ban doesn't apply to "lawful" permanent residents.

CALIFORNIA

Three California university students are challenging the ban. Their federal suit, filed Thursday in San Francisco, says the ban is unconstitutional and has created hardships for the students.

It alleges that a freshman at Stanford University now can't visit her husband in Yemen; another Yemeni at San Diego's Grossmont College can't resume studies there; and an unidentified University of California Berkeley doctoral candidate from Iran fears losing a job opportunity. 

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