A federal appeals panel has maintained the freeze on President Trump’s controversial immigration order, meaning previously barred refugees and citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries can continue entering the United States.
In a unanimous 29-page opinion, three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit unanimously denied arguments made by attorneys for President Trump’s administration for reinstating the ban on immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries.
The travel ban was originally imposed on travelers to the US from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen in an executive order signed by President Trump last month.
Attracting strong domestic and international opposition from its inception, last week a court In Seattle, Washington, placed a stay on the executive order. The Trump administration appealed the Washington court’s order to the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco, California. After hearing arguments for and against the travel ban last Tuesday, the 9th Circuit ruled against the Trump administration. This means the hold on the travel ban remains in place.
In a response to the announcement of the appeal court’s ruling on Thursday evening, President Trump tweeted, “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” He later told reporters the judges made “a political decision.”
In its ruling the judges countered the argument made by the attorney for the Trump administration that the ban should be lifted for national security reasons, and any argument that the courts could not rule against the president on immigration policies “runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.”
On the other hand, the court did not support arguments made by the Washington court that the ban was one against Muslims entering the US. In its ruling the court stated it was premature to make such an assessment.
Although the Trump administration has not made their immediate plans following the 9th District Court ruling, the opinion by most legal analysts and observers is that the administration will advance the matter to the US Supreme Court for its ultimate ruling.
