Once again a federal court has put the brakes on President Donald Trump's executive order banning refugees and migrants wishing to enter the U.S. from a list of countries in the Middle East.
Judge Derrick Watson of the U.S. District Court in Hawaii halted the order only hours before it was set to go into effect. Judge Watson motioned to block the ban after determining that it discriminates on the basis of nationality. Watson was one of three federal judges who heard arguments defending and protesting the piece of legislation on Wednesday, March 15. Federal judges in Maryland and Washington also held court. Over half a dozen states are facing pressure from opponents seeking to use the court to stop Trump's ban from seeing the light of day.
Attorneys arguing on behalf of the Trump administration argued that the revised order had been revised considerably from the original order that was struck down by a judge in Seattle over one month ago. The order no longer stipulates that priority would be given to Christian minority groups, they say, while continuing to defend that the travel restrictions are not an act of discrimination against Muslims. “It doesn’t say anything about religion. It doesn’t draw any religious distinctions,” Justice Department representative Jeffrey Wall maintained.
The Justice Department also argues that measures were taken to ease restrictions on the due-process rights of travelers to the extent that the government can afford to in the interest of national security. Having cut the list of nations most explicitly impacted by the ban, down to six [Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen], defenders of the order also point out that the order is less sweeping, as it will only apply to new visa applicants and not travelers who already have their paperwork.
Still, Judge Watson saw to it to file a temporary restraining order against the bill, in part as an effort to preserve the ability of relatives of U.S. citizens to enter the country. The court also determined that the ban would impact tourism and the recruitment of foreign students and workers. Attorneys for the government vowed to keep fighting for the bill, accusing the Hawaiian court of offering "generalized allegations" about the nature of the bill, in preventing its passing.
Source: pe.com
