Immigration 'Ban' Blocked Again: U.S. Judges On Both Coasts Override Trump Order; DOJ To File Emergency Stay, W.H. Says

BROOKLYN, NY — Two federal judges, one in Brooklyn and one in Seattle, blocked federal authorities from carrying out President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban" late this week.

First, on Thursday, a federal judge in the same Brooklyn court that temporarily blocked deportations under Trump's ban last Saturday night — effectively freeing hundreds detained in airports across America — ruled that Saturday's "emergency stay" should be extended another three weeks, to Feb. 21.

Then, on Friday night, a federal judge in Seattle made an even more dramatic move: He issued a restraining order, effective nationwide, against the two main sections of Trump's week-old executive order.

Trump's order "is illegal, is causing and will continue to cause irreparable harm in Washington, and is contrary to the public interest," U.S. District Judge James Robart said in his restraining order. "The court should fulfill its constitutional role as a check on executive abuse and temporarily bar enforcement of the Order nationwide."

Specifically, Robart blocked the sections of Trump's order that ban all travel to the U.S. from Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen for three months; ban all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days; and ban Syrian refugees from entering the U.S. indefinitely.

Seattle's restraining order will apparently remain in effect until a final decision is reached in a local lawsuit against Trump's ban, which is being litigated by the Washington State Attorney General.

After the ruling in Seattle, airlines planned to begin allowing people from banned countries to board flights, a person familiar with the matter told the Washington Post.

In Brooklyn, U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon ruled there was "good cause" to believe immigrants would continue to suffer "irreparable harm" under Trump's order.

Still, despite the courts' clear instructions, confusion continued to reign supreme Friday night about whether, in practice, immigrants from the seven listed Muslim countries would be allowed to enter the U.S.

"The problem is that whatever is going on legally, this has created so much confusion and chaos and fear," Camille Mackler, an attorney for the New York Immigration Coalition, said Friday.

Attorneys from the ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center told Judge Amon on Wednesday that they were getting reports of 200 to 300 immigrants still detained at American airports — despite repeated denials from the Department of Homeland Security. Anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000 previously valid visas were temporarily revoked this week by the State Department. There have been continued reports of immigrants blocked by airline officials from boarding U.S.-bound planes abroad. A U.S. official told the Post that officials would examine the revoking of those visas so that people would be allowed to travel.

Homeland Security officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly said that they will continue to enforce Trump's executive order while also being in compliance with judicial orders, making the exact execution of aspects of the executive order at U.S. ports of entry unclear.

The White House issued a statement late Friday night saying the Department of Justice would file an emergency stay of this order at the earliest possible time to defend the order, which they believe is "lawful and appropriate."

In an earlier statement, the White House referred to the order as "outrageous" and later sent out a new version that took out the word.

Trump himself was more blunt, saying the opinion of the "so-called" judge is ridiculous and will be overturned.

The judge, James Robart, is a George W. Bush appointee who was confirmed unanimously by the Senate.

Patch has reached out to a myriad of legal aid organizations tracking the on-the-ground effects of Trump's ban and the court orders against it. We'll update this post with anything else we're able to find out.

Neal McNamara and Feroze Dhanoa contributed to this report

Photo by Simone Wilson