Federal court stays Donald Trump's immigration ban, ACLU wins legal challenge

On Saturday, a New York federal court issued an emergency stay on US President Donald Trump's executive order banning immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

A lawsuit was filed by legal organisations along with the  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of individuals who were subject to the ban and were detained by the US government with deportation while holding valid visas to enter the country. The ACLU said it would argue in US District Court in New York at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday for a nationwide stay to block deportation of people stranded in US airports because of Trump's order, Reuters reported.

Statement from ACLU met with crowd erupting in cheer pic.twitter.com/abgcrV3Q9z

— grace spelman (@GraceSpelman) January 29, 2017

“This ruling preserves the status quo and ensures that people who have been granted permission to be in this country are not illegally removed off US soil,” said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project in a press release shortly after the ruling.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony D Romero also stated, “Clearly the judge understood the possibility for irreparable harm to hundreds of immigrants and lawful visitors to this country. Our courts today worked as they should as bulwarks against government abuse or unconstitutional policies and orders. On week one, Donald Trump suffered his first loss in court.”

Here’s the full text of the stay issued by Judge Donnelly:

Here’s the full text of the stay issued by Judge Donnelly tonight. #MuslimBan #NoBan pic.twitter.com/xWHFbYoJN0

— Josh Leitzel (@joshleitzel) January 29, 2017

Trump's signed an executive order on Friday, barring people from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia from entering the US for 90 days. The order also stops refugee from entering the US for 120 days. Due to the order, many people with a current valid visa have been detained or unable to enter the country. "I'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. Don't want them here," Trump said earlier on Friday at the Pentagon. "We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people," he said.

Meanwhile, the win is one small victory for those who came out in protest of the ban in the US and worldwide.

Tonight was evidence of the power of collective action. The people united can never be defeated. #NoBanNoWall #NoMuslimBan

— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 29, 2017