A judge in Hawaii has blocked Donald Trump's new travel ban, the ruling by US District Judge Derrick Watson blocks Trump executive order. Hawaii is one of several US states trying to stop the travel ban. The directive would have placed a 90-day ban on people from six Muslim nations and a 120-day ban on refugees.
President Trump said it would stop terrorists from entering the US but critics believe the travel ban is discriminatory. BBC reports that lawyers in Hawaii think the ban would violate the US constitution by discriminating against people because of their national origin. Hawaii declared the ban would harm tourism and the ability to get foreign students and workers.
An earlier version of the president's order sparked confusion and protests. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson described it as fantastic news. Donald Trump's first travel ban was suspended because it violated the due process rights of individuals with valid residency and visas.
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The discussion over whether the travel ban imposed an unconstitutional religious test on some immigrants was put off until another day, which has arrived. The federal court in Hawaii used Trump's own words against him. An order that discriminates against some Muslims, is just as legally deficient as one that discriminates against them all. Now it's back to the drawing board for the Trump administration or back to the Ninth Circuit court of appeals, which ruled against Trump on the original ban just last month.
Under the revised order, citizens of six countries (Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen) would once more be subject to a 90-day travel ban. Iraq was removed from the list because its government increased visa screening and data sharing. The revised order lifts an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees and says that Green Card holders from the named countries will not be affected.
