Trump's Presidential reign faces HUGE setback as 'Muslim travel ban' blocked indefinitely
PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s revised ban on travellers and refugees from several Muslim-majority countries has suffered a damaging blow after a federal judge in Hawaii indefinitely extended the order blocking the enforcement of the ban yesterday.
Donald Trump's Presidency has sustained a major setback as travel ban is blocked
Judge Derrick Watson turned the temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by the state of Hawaii.
The Hawaiian state claimed Trump's order discriminated against Muslims and therefore violates the US Constitution.
Trump tells senators new healthcare plan coming 'very quickly'
Following the temporary block on the ban a few weeks ago, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump’s administration would "vigorously defend” the executive order and appeal the "flawed rulings”.
The Trump administration then asked Judge Watson to narrow his original ruling so it will only block the suspension of new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries.
However, Watson rejected that argument which has stopped the Trump administration from preventing the arrival of refugees.
Hawaii was the first state to sue over Trump’s new revised ban. The imam of a Honolulu mosque joined the challenge, arguing that the ban would prevent his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting family in Hawaii.
Trump signed the revised ban on March 6, in a bid to overcome legal problems with the January executive order that caused chaos at airports and sparked mass protests.
Trump's initial travel ban triggered global protests. Protestors pictured in London
Hawaii and other opponents of the ban claim the motivation behind it is based on religion and Trump's election campaign promise of "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”.
After Judge Watson’s temporary order was issued, a US journalist from the New York Observer questioned why some Muslim countries were not included.
Andre Walker said, if it truly was a Muslim ban, the block would have included countries such as Indonesia.