An U.S. Judge has ordered a temporary stay stopping the deportation of visa holders from seven Muslim countries at U.S. airports. Judge Ann M. Donnelly, from the Federal District Court in Brooklyn, ordered that sending the refugees back home could cause them irreparable harm. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Saturday morning opposing President Donald Trump's ban on Muslim immigrants from seven Muslim countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen. According to the ACLU the judge's order will allow those "caught up in the aftermath of the President's order" to stay in the country.
The civil rights group says at least 100 to 200 may be held in airports around the country as we speak.
Protests erupt after President Trump's immigration order
At several airports around the country including JFK International airport, massive protests erupted after the detention of refugees from Muslims countries such as Iraq. These refugees have been fleeing their war torn countries in the hopes of a better life in America. Thousands came to the defense of the refugees demanding the refugees to be released and allow entry into the country. There were also hundreds who waited outside of the Brooklyn courtroom chanting, "Set them free." Jubilation broke out as soon as the protesters heard that the judge ruled in the refugees favor.
The lawyers for the refugees expressed their concerns that their plaintiffs may be detained indefinitely instead of being released into the country. Judge Donnelly told the lawyers to come back if the refugees are indeed detained. Among some of the detainees included an Iranian scientist, who was on his way to a lab in Massachusetts and Syrian refugee family.
Muslim visa holders were blocked from returning to the U.S.
Numerous reports of Muslim students attending universities in the U.S. were told they couldn't return to America. One twitter post read that a Yale student would be unable to continue his studies at the Ivy league university. A student from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says he was blocked from boarding a plane back to America.
A graduate student from Sudan was blocked for hours from entering the country. Even legal residents that hold green cards were also being told they couldn't reenter the country. They were all attending vacations, funerals, and study abroad.
Foreign Backlash of President Trump's Muslim Ban
Leaders around the Muslim world condemned President Trump's controversial Muslim immigration order. The most harsh words came from Iran's Foreign Ministry which was furious over the banning of their Muslim citizens. They issued a statement in response saying they would ban U.S. citizens from entering their country as a direct result of President Trump's order barring their own citizens from entering the U.S.
In summary it said that reciprocal measures would be taken as a result of President Trump's unfair targeting of Muslims and the Iranian people under the guise of fighting terrorism. The Iranian Foreign Ministry added the unfair treatment of Muslims would be a gift to extremists.
President Trump Claims it's not a Muslim ban
President Trump told media Saturday, "it's not a Muslim ban, but we are totally prepared." He went on to state, "It's working out very nicely. You see it in the airports and all over. It's working out very nicely and we are going to have a very strict ban and we are going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years." However, there was a tremendous backlash from civil rights groups and various democratic politicians.
Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Jerrold Nadler, democrats from N.Y. went to J.F.K. demanding a release of two Iraqi men while calling the order arbitrary and unjust. Sen. Schumer, the Senate Minority leader, called on Homeland Security to rescind the order immediately. It remains to be seen if they will do so or if President Trump will fold under pressure and repeal the order himself.
