State Dept., DHS bow to U.S. court ruling

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (Michael Vadon photo).

Bowing to a temporary restraining order issued by a a federal judge in Seattle that had a national effect, the State Department and Homeland Security Department reversed course on Saturday on enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order halting immigration from seven majority-Muslim nations.

The Department of State had originally said it was cancelling visas for 60,000 foreign travelers from Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen, but then changed and announced that valid visas would be honored.

The Homeland Security Department stopped telling airlines to prevent visa-holders from boarding airplanes headed for the United States.

President Trump criticized the ruling of U.S District Judge James Robart on Twitter, calling it “ridiculous” and referred to the jurist as a “so-called judge.” The Department of Justice is seeking to have the judge’s order overturned.