President Donald Trump 's hugely controversial temporary travel ban on refugees and immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries continued to unravel this week, with a Seattle federal judge, James Robart, temporarily halting the order on Friday. And although the government is complying, the White House said that it would seek an emergency stay of Robart's ruling—which would allow Trump's order to go back into action—and is expected to appeal his decision with a higher court.

On Saturday morning , the Department of Homeland Security said it would suspend actions to implement the travel ban (although it called Trump's order "lawful and appropriate" ) and resume standard inspections of travelers. The State Department said that people whose visas had not been stamped or otherwise marked as cancelled since the order was issued the previous Friday would now be able to travel freely. The number of people whose visas have been revoked per Trump's order number between 60,000 (according to the State Department) and 100,000 (according to a Department of Justice official).

Trump's order freezes the Syrian refugee program indefinitely, bars other refugees for 120 days, and bans entry into the U.S. to people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days. The order also worked in that people from minority religions in those predominantly Muslim countries would be given preference for admission, and Trump specifically said that Christian refugees would be given priority. For some would-be refugees, the ban isn't about their religion at all, but about their persecution as members of the LGBTQ community where living openly could get them beaten, arrested, or killed.

The order had thrown airports—and tens of thousands of lives— into chaos this week because no one knew exactly how to implement Trump's orders , which took effect immediately last Friday. Immigration officials were detaining valid visa holders earlier this week, for example, and San Francisco airport hadn't received any instructions from the government; meanwhile, people with dual nationalities (say for Yemen and the U.K.) were left wondering about their position in all of this, and attorneys have said that some "rogue agents" at airports were detaining travelers and even trying to get them to sign away their green cards.

It also caused confusion in the White House itself : Neither John Kelly nor James Mattis, respectively the new secretaries of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, had been fully briefed on Trump's executive order in advance. Paul Ryan, the House speaker, also only learned of what was in the ban as it was issued. Congressional members on both sides of the aisle denounced the order while thousands protested at airports nationwide.

For now, even with travel once again allowed, people are remaining cautious until it's clear exactly what will happen next, given how wildly chaotic it's been so far—or how long Judge Robart's green light on travel and immigration will be in place (it doesn't actually overturn Trump's order permanently). Middle Eastern airlines are accepting passengers from the seven countries once again, although other officials and leaders are urging caution amid the unpredictability.

The White House is expected to appeal Robart's decision to a higher court and vowed to seek an emergency stay in the meantime. In a statement, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, “At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file an emergency stay of this outrageous order and defend the executive order of the President, which we believe is lawful and appropriate. The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people." That statement was later updated, this time with the word "outrageous" removed .

Meanwhile, Trump, who is two weeks into his presidency and currently on his first " getaway weekend " at his Mar-a-Lago resort, tweeted early Saturday morning (as is his habit) about the matter.</s>U.S. District Judge James Robart temporarily suspended a controversial executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The Seattle Times reports that the ruling made in a federal court on Friday was a major victory for a lawsuit filed by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

“The Constitution prevailed today,” Ferguson said. “No one is above the law — not even the President.”

The lawsuit, filed on January 30, claims that Trump’s executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations violates the U.S. Constitution. The nationwide travel ban was put on hold after the State of Minnesota joined the lawsuit requesting a restraining order.

The Justice Department, representing the Trump administration, failed to convince the Seattle federal judge that Trump’s executive order has not harmed U.S. citizens. The judge granting the suspension of Trump’s executive order on immigration was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration played down reports that chaos in airports after Trump signed the executive order was as bad as it looked. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the damage was minimal.

“Three hundred and twenty-five thousand people flew into this country from airports and 109 people were affected and slowed down in their travel,” Spicer said. “I understand that is an inconvenience, but at the end of the day that is a small price to pay as opposed to somebody losing their life because a terrorist attack was admitted.”

Multiple reports have emerged contradicting statements made by the Trump administration. It’s unclear exactly how many visas were suspended after Trump signed the controversial executive order, but the number could be as high as 100,000 and as low as 50,000.

The suspension of Trump’s executive order in a federal court was a result of Washington and Minnesota arguing that U.S. citizens have been injured by Trump’s executive order.

Washington and Minnesota aren’t the only two states winning legal battles against the executive order suspending the U.S. refugee program and imposing a travel ban for people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen.

New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia filed separate lawsuits this week. Each state’s attorney general has the legal power to file broad lawsuits on behalf of their state’s citizens.

Politico reports that a federal court in Virginia on Friday rejected efforts made by the Justice Department to settle a case on behalf of green card holders detained at Dulles Airport.

“It’s obvious that [Trump’s executive order] put hundreds of thousands of people into a state of great discomfort,” U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema said. “People are really upset.”

Chicago Tribune reports that Ferguson is calling for provisions to Trump’s executive order to be thrown out.

The biggest unanswered question is, what happens next? Friday’s ruling in Seattle is a major defeat for Trump’s executive order moving forward. The case will likely be appealed by the Trump administration. It also likely the case will ultimately make it to the Supreme Court for a final ruling.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the ruling against Trump’s executive order a major victory for all Americans.

“This ruling is a victory for the Constitution and for all of us who believe this un-American executive order will not make us safer,” Schumer said.

A visa that was rescinded after Trump’s executive order could potentially be reinstated very soon. The immense legal implications of a federal judge temporarily overturning an executive order signed by the president will no doubt bring clarity to the future of Trump’s travel ban sooner than later.</s>WASHINGTON >> The government on Saturday suspended enforcement of President Donald Trump’s refugee and immigration ban and scurried to appeal a judge’s order, plunging the new administration into a crisis that has challenged Trump’s authority — and ability to fulfill campaign promises.

The stand-down, a day after a federal judge in Washington state temporarily blocked the ban, marked an extraordinary setback for the White House. One week ago, Trump had acted on his own to suspend America’s refugee program and halt immigration to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries that the U.S. says raise terrorism concerns.

As the White House worked to reinstate the ban, Trump mocked U.S. District Judge James Robart, appointed by President George W. Bush, as a “so-called judge” whose “ridiculous” ruling “will be overturned.”

Trump’s direct attack recalled his diatribes during the campaign against a federal judge of Mexican heritage who was overseeing a Trump University case. Justice Department lawyers could be called upon to answer for his words as the travel ban case reaches the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The order had caused unending confusion for many foreigners trying to reach the United States, prompted protests across the United States and led to a series of court challenges.

The State Department on Friday said as many as 60,000 foreigners from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen had their visas canceled. The department reversed course Saturday, saying they could travel to the U.S. if they had a valid visa.

The Homeland Security Department no longer was directing airlines to prevent visa-holders affected by Trump’s order from boarding U.S.-bound planes. The agency said it had “suspended any and all actions” related to putting in place Trump’s order, which the White House argued was “intended to protect the homeland.”

The Justice Department was expected to ask the 9th Circuit to set side Robert’s ruling so the ban could go back into effect.

Trump already made clear what he thought of Robart’s action.

“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned,” Trump tweeted. “When a country is no longer able to say who can and who cannot come in & out, especially for reasons of safety & security - big trouble!”

That rhetoric could put government lawyers defending Trump’s order in a tough spot if a federal appeals court were to ask them about it.

“Either they have to defend the statements that Judge Robart is a ‘so-called judge,’ which you can’t do, or they have to distance themselves from the president, who is their boss,” said University of Pittsburgh law professor Arthur Hellman.

With legal challenges pending, two prominent Middle Eastern air carriers announced they would resume carrying passengers from the seven affected countries. Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, said U.S.-bound travelers from those countries with valid visas would be allowed to board.

In Egypt, Cairo airport and airline officials said they have received instructions from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend President Trump’s executive order.

Government-backed Qatar Airways is one of a few Mideast airlines operating direct daily flights to multiple American cities. Its U.S. destinations from its Doha hub include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington.

The executive order has caused chaos within the government and the courts since it was announced a week ago. Trump fired Sally Yates, an Obama administration holdover who was serving as acting attorney general, after she said the Justice Department would not enforce it. Hearings were held Friday in separate court challenges across the country.

In their arguments to the court, Washington state and Minnesota said the temporary ban and the global suspension of the U.S. refugee program significantly harmed residents and effectively mandated discrimination.

Federal attorneys had argued that Congress gave the president authority to make decisions on national security and immigrant entry.

But in his written order released late Friday, Robart said it’s not the court’s job to “create policy or judge the wisdom of any particular policy promoted by the other two branches,” but rather, to make sure that an action taken by the executive or legislative branches “comports with our country’s laws.”

Associated Press writers Alicia A. Caldwell, Mark Sherman and Matthew Lee in Washington, Martha Bellisle in Seattle, Susannah George in Baghdad, Hamza Hendawi in Cairo and Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.</s>PALM BEACH, Fla. — U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out Saturday at “this so-called judge” who put a nationwide hold on his executive order denying entry to the U.S. to refugees and people from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The ruling set in motion another weekend of confusion and chaos around the country.

The White House pledged to swiftly appeal the federal judge’s ruling late Friday, but that didn’t appear to be enough for Trump, who vented his frustrations on Twitter.

“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” Trump said.

Trump has said the travel ban, which he enacted by executive order on Jan. 27, will keep Americans safe by keeping potential terrorists from entering the country.

He also said Saturday on Twitter that “when a country is no longer able to say who can and who cannot come in & out, especially for reasons of safety & security — big trouble!”

U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ruled late Friday against government lawyers’ claims that Washington state and Minnesota, which sued over the ban, lacked the legal grounds to challenge Trump’s order. Robart said the states showed that their case was likely to succeed.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said late Friday that the Justice Department would appeal the “outrageous” order “at the earliest possible time. Spicer quickly issued an amended statement that deleted ”outrageous.“

“The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people,” Spicer said, calling the order both lawful and appropriate.

Trump billed the action as necessary to stop “radical Islamic terrorists” from coming to the U.S.

The order included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen, a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program, and an indefinite bar against admitting Syrian refugees.

The decision sparked protests nationwide and confusion at airports as some travellers were detained. More protests were planned for this weekend, including at Trump’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he is spending the weekend.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York issued an emergency order after lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union filed a court petition on behalf of people from the seven countries who were detained at airports nationwide as the ban took effect.

Donnelly’s order addressed only a portion of Trump’s order, and barred U.S. border agents from removing anyone who arrived in the U.S. with a valid visa from the seven countries. Robart’s decision was more sweeping in scope.

Saturday was not the first instance of Trump criticizing a federal judge, a member of an independent branch of the government.

During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized the federal judge who was presiding over a lawsuit brought by former students of Trump University. Trump claimed that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was born in Indiana, had an “absolute conflict” in handling the case because he is “of Mexican heritage.” Trump launched his presidential campaign with a harsh description of Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug dealers.

Trump recently agreed to pay $25 million to settle the lawsuits against Trump University.</s>The Justice Department on Saturday night filed a notice to appeal to a court order halting President Trump’s travel ban, requesting that implementation of the controversial executive order resume immediately.

The initial injunction, handed down by U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle, effectively paused all implementation of Mr. Trump’s signed executive order, which prohibited entry into the U.S. to all refugees and citizens from seven countries with Muslim-majority populations.

The ruling was the result of a lawsuit brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota against the Trump administration challenging the ban. Robart issued a temporary restraining order to pause its implementation until the case was heard, saying the states had legal standing to contest the president’s directive and had showed their case was likely to succeed.

The departments of State and Homeland Security complied immediately with the order by the Seattle-based judge.

On Saturday, the State Department issued a statement saying it had reinstated visas that were not physically canceled, so travel to the U.S. could resume for those banned under the executive order.

The Department of Homeland Security has also instructed its employees to suspend any actions carrying out the ban, including the detention and removal of travelers. Traveler inspections, DHS said, would continue “in accordance with standard policy and procedure.”</s>Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson called a press conference late on Friday afternoon to announce that the Trump ban on travel from 7 primarily muslim countries was rendered null and void through a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Court Judge James Robart.

The judge's ruling means people waiting in airports overseas, on their way to America can proceed with travel.

The ruling deals with parts "three and five" the attorney general's legal team said and favors Washington’s request for an immediate, temporary halt to the travel ban. It confirms Washington’s case that the executive order has harmed the state, in the sense that both people and business were being harmed by the President's Executive Order.



“The Constitution prevailed today,” Ferguson said. “No one is above the law — not even the President.”

The Trump Administration filed a brief last Thursday in anticipation of the Washington State legal action stating that the state did not "have standing" to bring the action. The Attorney General's office had filed a complaint in United Stated District Court naming the President and other members of the Trump Administration as defendants.

The order, put in place last Friday resulted massive demonstrations around the nation, including one with more than 2000 people at Sea-Tac Airport.

Ferguson said,, "This is a nation of laws," and expected that the Federal Government would follow the law and suspend the travel ban.

The Federal government can appeal the ruling but that process could take weeks or months.</s>The US Justice Department on Saturday appealed a temporary block of Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries, after the president unleashed a fiery tirade and those with valid visas started arriving on American soil.

It was just the latest in a series of dramatic twists since the Republican billionaire leader issued his immigration order a week ago.

On Friday, a federal judge in Washington state put a temporary stay on the measures pending a wider legal review, prompting government agencies and global airlines to cease enforcing the ban.

Thousands of people from London and Paris to New York and Washington staged fresh protests against Trump, who took office on January 20 — little more than two weeks ago.

The Manhattan property mogul-turned-president, who was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago vacation retreat in Florida, unloaded a barrage of angry tweets throughout the day.

He specifically targeted US District Judge James Robart — an appointee of Republican president George W. Bush — in an extremely rare attack on a federal judge from a sitting president.

“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” Trump tweeted early in the day.

In the evening, he posted: “The judge opens up our country to potential terrorists and others that do not have our best interests at heart. Bad people are very happy!”

Late Saturday, the Justice Department filed its motion to appeal, though the legal brief detailing its arguments has yet to come.

“We’ll win. For the safety of the country, we’ll win,” Trump told reporters.

The case will now move to a federal appeals court.

Nevertheless, government authorities began complying with the lower court judge’s ruling, reopening the borders to those with proper travel documents.

The State Department told visa holders from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen that they are again allowed to travel as long as the documents had not been “physically cancelled.”

The department earlier said up to 60,000 people had their visas revoked as a result of Trump’s order, although a Justice Department attorney put the number at closer to 100,000.

The Department of Homeland Security — which runs border agencies — also said it would cease implementing the order.

The restrictions on all refugees and travelers from the seven countries went into effect a week ago, wreaking havoc at airports across America and leaving travelers trying to reach the United States in limbo.

The political backlash for Trump has been equally severe, with the order fueling numerous mass protests and White House infighting.

In Washington, hundreds of demonstrators marched from the White House to Capitol Hill, chanting “Donald, Donald, can’t you see — we don’t want you in DC!”

About 3,000 people rallied in New York, while an estimated 10,000 people turned out in London, and smaller gatherings took place in Paris, Berlin, Stockholm and Barcelona.

Trump was forced to defend a botched rollout of the plan — which called his government’s competence into question — and fired the acting attorney general for refusing to defend the order in court.

His approval rating has sunk to the lowest level on record for any new president.

His latest rhetorical outburst is only likely to stoke the controversy.

Presidents from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama have criticized court rulings, but have rarely, if ever, criticized individual judges.

“I can’t think of anything like it in the past century and a half at least,” constitutional scholar and Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe told AFP.

“It’s not exactly contempt of court, but it certainly is contemptuous,” said Tribe, who taught two sitting Supreme Court justices as well as Obama — whom he later advised.

“It conveys a lack of respect for the independent judiciary that bodes ill for the country’s future as long as Trump occupies the presidency,” Tribe said.

Democrats in Congress were swift in their condemnation of Trump’s remarks, while Republicans notably did not rush to his defense.

“This ‘so-called’ judge was nominated by a ‘so-called’ President & was confirmed by the ‘so-called’ Senate. Read the ‘so-called’ Constitution,” tweeted California Democratic lawmaker Adam Schiff.

The White House has argued that the travel bans are needed in order to prevent terror attacks on the United States.

Experts from the fields of intelligence, counterterrorism and diplomacy say the ban is at best ineffective and at worst fuels hatred of the United States in the Middle East.

But cracking down on Islamist terror has become an organizing principle for Trump supporters and the White House has consistently sought to underscore the risks posed to Americans.

“When a country is no longer able to say who can, and who cannot, come in & out, especially for reasons of safety &.security – big trouble!” Trump tweeted Saturday.</s>SEATTLE — A U.S. judge on Friday temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s ban on travellers and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries after Washington state and Minnesota urged a nationwide hold on the executive order that has launched legal battles across the country.

U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ruled that the states had standing to challenge Trump’s order, which government lawyers disputed, and said they showed their case was likely to succeed.

“The state has met its burden in demonstrating immediate and irreparable injury,” Robart said.

Trump’s order last week sparked protests nationwide and confusion at airports as some travellers were detained. The White House has argued that it will make the country safer.

Washington became the first state to sue over the order that temporarily bans travel for people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen and suspends the U.S. refugee program.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said this week that the travel ban significantly harms residents and effectively mandates discrimination. Minnesota joined the suit two days later.

After the ruling, Ferguson said people from the affected countries can now apply for entry to the U.S.

“Judge Robart’s decision, effective immediately ... puts a halt to President Trump’s unconstitutional and unlawful executive order,” Ferguson said. “The law is a powerful thing — it has the ability to hold everybody accountable to it, and that includes the president of the United States.”

Gillian M. Christensen, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Federal attorneys had argued that Congress gave the president authority to make decisions on national security and immigrant entry.

The two states won a temporary restraining order while the court considers the lawsuit, which aims to permanently block Trump’s order. Court challenges have been filed nationwide from states and advocacy groups.

Up to 60,000 foreigners from the seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas cancelled because of the executive order, the State Department said Friday.

That figure contradicts a statement from a Justice Department lawyer on the same day during a court hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said about 100,000 visas had been revoked.

The State Department clarified that the higher figure includes diplomatic and other visas that were actually exempted from the travel ban, as well as expired visas.

Washington and Minnesota’s lawsuit says Trump campaigned on a promise to ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. and kept up that rhetoric while defending the travel ban. Lawyers pointed to dozens of speeches and statements Trump has made.

“The executive order effectively mandates that the states engage in discrimination based on national origin and/or religion, thereby rescinding the states’ historic protection of civil rights and religious freedom,” the complaint says.

Ferguson said the order is harming Washington residents, businesses and its education system. It will reduce tax revenue and impose significant costs on state agencies, as well as make it impossible for some state employees and students to travel, he said.

Washington-based businesses Amazon, Expedia and Microsoft support the state’s efforts to stop the order. They say it’s hurting their operations, too.

Lawyers for Washington state said another hearing was expected in the next few weeks.</s>A United States federal judge in Seattle has issued a temporary nationwide restraining order on Friday stopping President Trump's executive order banning citizens of seven countries from entering the United States.

The Judge, James Robart, who was appointed by former President George Bush in 2003, ruled the executive order would be stopped nationwide, effective immediately.

“The Constitution prevailed today,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement after the ruling. “No one is above the law — not even the President.”

"It's our president's duty to honor this ruling and I'll make sure he does," Ferguson added.

The ruling, made at the request of Washington and Minnesota, is the broadest to date against Trump's executive order.

Ferguson, a Democrat, filed the lawsuit three days after Trump signed the executive order. The suit argued that the travel ban targets Muslims and violates constitutional rights of immigrants and their families.</s>A United States federal judge in Seattle has issued a temporary nationwide restraining order on Friday stopping President Trump's executive order banning citizens of seven countries from entering the United States.

The Judge, James Robart, who was appointed by former President George Bush in 2003, ruled the executive order would be stopped nationwide, effective immediately.

“The Constitution prevailed today,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement after the ruling. “No one is above the law — not even the President.”

"It's our president's duty to honor this ruling and I'll make sure he does," Ferguson added.

The ruling, made at the request of Washington and Minnesota, is the broadest to date against Trump's executive order.

Ferguson, a Democrat, filed the lawsuit three days after Trump signed the executive order. The suit argued that the travel ban targets Muslims and violates constitutional rights of immigrants and their families.

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The Department of Homeland Security says it has stopped enforcing the executive order per Judge James Robart's ruling in State of Washington v. Trump. The State Department activates visas that had been previously suspended because of this order.