People holding a valid visa and previously banned from entering the US may now travel to the country, the state department said on Saturday, according to AP.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 27 temporarily banning entry to the United States for nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
US District Judge James Robart’s ruling on Friday effectively suspends Trump’s executive order.
Trump took to Twitter to condemn the court ruling, “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!”
Trump has asserted that the travel ban is necessary in order to protect the US from terrorism while the government develops new regulations around screening applicants.
The travel ban was widely denounced as discriminatory and disrupted the lives of many refugees, students, and travelers.
“It’s against the American values, which we learned about in history,” a tenth-grade student from Sulaimani told Rudaw English. She had hoped to participate in a US state department leadership program but was left wondering if she and 225 other young Iraqis would be permitted to travel.
“[We learned] the principles of the US are based upon freedom of worship, freedom of want, and these types of things. And for Trump to disprove it is unfair.”
The lifting of the ban has left many travelers scrambling for flights before any new restrictions were brought into place, Reuters reported.
from Rudaw http://ift.tt/2jLwWis
via Defense News
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