NEW YORK ― Late Saturday, a federal judge in Brooklyn temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order blocking the entry of Syrian refugees and imposing a de facto ban on travelers coming from several Muslim-majority countries.
The American Civil Liberties Union and refugee relief organizations had filed the action in federal court Saturday morning on behalf of two Iraqi nationals who were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, asking for a declaration that the order is unconstitutional and requesting an injunction to prevent its implementation against others who may be equally harmed by the executive order.
“The petitioners have a strong likelihood of success in establishing that the removal of the petitioners and others similarly situated violates the rights to Due Process and Equal Protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution,” wrote in her order U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly of the Eastern District of New York.
The legal action named Trump in his official capacity as president, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and other high-ranking officials. Although temporary and subject to appeal, it represents the first constitutional setback faced by the new administration.
This is a developing story and will be updated.