The Department of Homeland Security is going along with a judge’s order temporarily halting President Trump’s executive order that bans refugees from seven countries.
“In accordance with the judge’s ruling, DHS has suspended any and all actions implementing the affected sections of the Executive Order,” Acting DHS press secretary Gillian Christensen said in a statement Saturday.
This includes “actions to suspend passenger system rules that flag travelers for operational action subject to the Executive Order,” Christensen said, adding that DHS personnel “will resume inspection of travelers in accordance with standard policy and procedure.
U.S. District Judge James Robart on Friday ruled in favor a lawsuit by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is taking action on certain provisions in Trump’s week-old executive action. The order by the Seattle-based judge applies nationwide.
DHS confirmed that the Justice Department will file an emergency stay of Robart’s order, a move Christensen called “lawful and appropriate.”
Trump’s order “is intended to protect the homeland and the American people, and the President has no higher duty and responsibility than to do so,” said Christensen.
The State Department reversed visa cancellations for up to 60,000 foreigners in response to the judge’s move to put Trump’s executive order on hold, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
