A federal judge issued a stay on Trump's executive order on immigration
A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York issued an emergency ruling Saturday evening on President Donald Trump's executive order barring travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, American Civil Libties Union lawyers said.
The ruling, an emergency stay, temporarily allows people who landed in the US with a valid visa to remain.
The ACLU had filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of two Iraqi refugees, who were detained by border agents at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City, despite having previously been granted asylum and holding valid visas. Both men were released Saturday.
The stay will temporarily allow those who have landed in the US with valid visas to remain in the country.
Trump's order, signed Friday afternoon, had prompted widespread chaos at airports across the country as refugees and travelers were detained after arriving and denied entry.
The order halted refugee arrivals into the US for 120 days, and it barred citizens of Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen for 90 days.
The ACLU lawyers argued the order was "unconstitutional" and a "violation of international law."
Demonstrators outside the courthouse erupted in cheers as news of the stay spread.