President Trump is confident the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will reverse a restraining order late Tuesday evening that has prevented his administration from suspending immigration from seven Muslim countries and blocking refugees from entry.
“There’s no question that the president respects the judicial branch and its ruling, but I just read off the U.S. code on that [and] I don’t think there’s any other way that you can interpret that, than that the president has the discretion to do what is necessary to keep this country safe,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Tuesday, referring to the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act which grants the president broad executive authority on issues related to immigration.
“I think he feels confident, just like in the ruling in Boston, that we’re going to prevail on this on the merits of the case because it was done so in a very lawful way,” Spicer added.
At issue is a restraining order granted by a Seattle federal judge last Friday that has thwarted the administration’s efforts to implement Trump’s directive on immigration. A seasoned Justice Department attorney will argue before a three-judge panel in San Francisco on Tuesday that the order violates the president’s executive authority.
“All that is at issue tonight is an interim decision about whether the president’s order is enforced or not until the case is heard on the actual merits of the order,” Spicer explained. “We look forward to a final decision on the merits of this soon.”
