Judge Blocks Trump’s Latest Travel Ban Hours Before It Takes Effect
Local Editor
A federal judge halted yet another of US President Donald Trump's travel bans, the latest in a series of legal setbacks for the president's immigration agenda.
In September, Trump unveiled a new executive order - his third on the matter so far - indefinitely banning or curtailing travel from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, Venezuela and North Korea.
US District Court Judge Derrick Watson on Tuesday blocked implementation of much of that order just hours before the ban was set to take effect, writing that it suffered from the same legal weaknesses as previous versions.
Judge Watson repeatedly ruled against the Trump administration in legal clashes over travel bans, blocking an earlier version and later moving to expand the universe of relatives who could be admitted.
The order "discriminates based on nationality" in a way courts have deemed "antithetical...to the founding principles of this Nation", the judge wrote.
The White House responded by slamming Judge Watson's order and vowing to press ahead with a court battle, arguing the order had been thoroughly vetted and would stand up to legal scrutiny.
The American Civil Liberties Union hailed the ruling, with Immigrants' Rights Project head Omar Jadwat saying in a statement that the organization was "glad, but not surprised, that President Trump's illegal and unconstitutional Muslim ban has been blocked once again".
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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