Federal Judges Rule against Trump’s Second Travel Ban

Summary: A federal judge in Hawaii has issued a national ruling that would halt President Donald Trump’s recent executive order.

Two federal judges appointed by President Barack Obama have thrown a wrench in President Donald Trump’s national security plans.

Judge Derrick K. Watson of Hawaii issued a nationwide order on Wednesday to stop President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban, and Judge Theodore D. Chuang from Maryland issued a separate order that would forbid a core part of the ban from ever taking effect.

A third judge in Washington state is also expected to make a decision against Trump.

The revised travel ban from March 6 bars people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. It was known as a lesser version of another ban from January that forbid the entry of travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. The January ban was derided by critics for being discriminatory towards one religion, and it had caused mass chaos at airports because law enforcement did not know whether or not to prohibit entry of visa and green card holders from those countries.

Judge Watson of Honolulu, Hawaii said that Trump’s second ban was issued to discriminate against the Muslim religion, and he used Trump’s prior public statements about the dangers of Muslims to support his conclusion.

Maryland’s Judge Chuang echoed Watson’s statement that the ban was discriminatory, and on Wednesday, Trump responded to Chuang’s ruling at a rally in Nashville, calling it a political move. He also added that not enforcing the ban made America “look weak” and that he may reissue the first controversial travel ban.

After Trump’s speech, the Justice Department addressed Hawaii’s decisions, stating that it was “flawed.” Trump’s lawyers then argued that Trump has the right to exercise national security powers, and Jeffrey Wall, the U.S. Solicitor General, said that Trump was continuing the concerns raised by the Obama administration about visitors from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen had terrorist ties.

“What the order does is a step beyond what the previous administration did, but it’s on the same basis,” Wall said.

Critics of the ban said that it also had the potential to break up families, which is something that has happened to undocumented people that have been rounded up recently by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While the aforementioned act is heartbreaking, Trump has stood firm that his actions are necessary for national security.