A US federal judge has issued an emergency ruling temporarily halting the deportations of travelers with valid visas detained under an executive order from President Donald Trump.
The stay issued Saturday by US District Judge Ann Donnelly barred US border agents from removing anyone who arrived in the US with a valid visa or refugee permit from the seven Muslim-majority countries subject to Trump’s directive.
“There is imminent danger that, absent the stay of removal, there will be substantial and irreparable injury to refugees, visa-holders, and other individuals,” said Donnelly, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama.
Trump’s order imposes a 90-day ban on entry from citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia, blocks refugees from Syria indefinitely, and suspends all refugee admissions for 120 days.
