So, some madness happened over the weekend. Trump officials, with little to no input from the relevant federal agencies, instituted a “Muslim Ban” on travelers from seven countries, blocking their entry into the United States. This included people legally authorized to enter the U.S., including green-card-holding permanent residents. Protests erupted around the country as innocent people were detained at airport Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) checkpoints for hours without access to legal counsel. Finally, late Saturday evening, Federal judge Ann Donnelly issued a temporary stay, ordering CBP to release all affected travelers. Another federal judge, Leonie Brinkema in the Alexandria district, ordered any detainees at Dulles be provided access to counsel.
Judge Donnelly’s order did result in the release of travelers, however CBP officials are defying Judge Brinkema’s order – no attorneys have been allowed to visit their clients. We are in the middle of a deepening constitutional crisis.
The federal court for the Eastern District of New York issued an emergency stay halting deportations under President Donald Trump’s executive order banning entry to the US from seven majority-Muslim countries tonight, following widespread protests at airports around the country.You can read the full text of the stay here.
The court order prevents the government from sending immigrants back to their home countries because it would cause them “irreparable harm,” but it is unclear if they will have to remain in detention until a substantive ruling on the constitutionality of the ban is delivered. “If someone is not being released, I guess I’ll just hear from you,” Judge Ann Donnelly told the plaintiff’s lawyers, according to The New York Times.
Source: Federal court halts Trump’s immigration ban – The Verge