U.S. halts ban on travel, says it will appeal

WASHINGTON -- The government on Saturday suspended the enforcement of President Donald Trump's refugee and immigration ban and scurried to appeal a judge's order, dealing a blow to the new president's efforts to fulfill a campaign promise.

The stand-down occurred a day after a federal judge in Washington state temporarily blocked the ban. A week ago, the president acted to suspend America's refugee program and halt immigration to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries that the government said raise terrorism concerns.

On Saturday night, the Justice Department filed notice that it would appeal the judge's order. The federal government will request an emergency stay with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco.

"We'll win," Trump told reporters Saturday night as he attended the annual gala of the American Red Cross at his private club. "For the safety of the country, we'll win."

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Earlier, Trump took to Twitter, calling U.S. District Judge James Robart, appointed by President George W. Bush, a "so-called judge" whose "ridiculous" ruling "will be overturned." He added in a subsequent tweet: "Because the ban was lifted by a judge, many very bad and dangerous people may be pouring into our country. A terrible decision."

The order had caused confusion for many foreigners trying to reach the United States, prompted protests across the United States and led to multiple court challenges. Demonstrations took place outside the White House, in New York and elsewhere.

In Washington on Saturday, demonstrators chanting "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here" walked from the White House down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Another protest was held Saturday evening in West Palm Beach, Fla., where about 3,000 people outside Trump Plaza shouted, "We want a leader, not an angry tweeter," and set up a flag-draped coffin that they said represented the death of democracy. Then, they marched to Mar-a-Lago resort, where Trump was spending the weekend.

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Protests also were held Saturday in Indonesia, where Indonesian and Filipino students and activists in Jakarta called on the Indonesian government and the international community to help stop Trump's order. The order does not include Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, or the Philippines, a U.S. ally. But rights activist Veronica Koman, who organized the protest, pointed out that Indonesia is home to nearly 14,000 refugees seeking resettlement in third countries, and Trump's ban will affect their chances of traveling to the U.S.

Reversal OKs travel

Robart's ruling led federal agencies to unwind enforcement of Trump's executive order.

The State Department, after saying that as many as 60,000 foreigners from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen had their visas canceled, reversed course Saturday and said they could travel to the U.S. if they had valid visas.

The department on Saturday advised refugee aid agencies that refugees set to travel before Trump signed his order will now be allowed into the United States. A State Department official said in an email obtained by The Associated Press that the government was "focusing on booking refugee travel" through Feb. 17 and working to have arrivals resume as soon as Monday.

The Homeland Security Department no longer was directing airlines to prevent visa-holders affected by Trump's order from boarding U.S.-bound planes. The agency said it had "suspended any and all actions" related to putting in place Trump's order, which the White House argued was "intended to protect the homeland."

Trump made clear what he thought of Robart's action.

"The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned," Trump tweeted. "When a country is no longer able to say who can and who cannot come in & out, especially for reasons of safety & security - big trouble!"

After several hours, the president returned to Twitter: "What is our country coming to when a judge can halt a Homeland Security travel ban and anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?"

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticized Trump for "attempting to bully and disparage yet another federal judge" and said he seemed "intent on precipitating a constitutional crisis." Trump's rhetoric also could put government lawyers defending his order in a tough spot.

"Either they have to defend the statements that Judge Robart is a 'so-called judge,' which you can't do, or they have to distance themselves from the president, who is their boss," said University of Pittsburgh law professor Arthur Hellman.

Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, said in a Saturday interview that it's up to the U.S. to decide the legality of the ban on admitting any refugees but the United Nations is "extremely" concerned by its implications.

"We are extremely involved and concerned by the operational aspect, of course, because many people have been affected and have gone through the whole process of being admitted to the United States," Grandi said.

The executive order has caused chaos within the government and the courts. Trump fired Sally Yates, a holdover from President Barack Obama's administration who was serving as acting attorney general, after she said the Justice Department would not enforce it.

Hearings also have been held in court challenges nationwide.

In arguments to the court, Washington state and Minnesota said the temporary ban and the global suspension of the U.S. refugee program harmed residents and effectively mandated discrimination.

Federal attorneys had argued that Congress gave the president authority to make decisions on national security and immigrant entry.

But in his written order Friday, Robart said it's not the court's job to "create policy or judge the wisdom of any particular policy promoted by the other two branches," but rather, to make sure that an action taken by the government "comports with our country's laws."

word goes out to hurry

Advocacy organizations that had worked to overturn the executive order and help immigrants and refugees stranded at airports were encouraging travelers "to rebook travel to the United States immediately," according to a statement released Saturday afternoon.

"We have been in contact with hundreds of people impacted by the ban, and we are urging them to get on planes as quickly as possible," Clare Kane, a law student intern at the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School, one of the advocacy groups, said in a statement.

With legal challenges pending, two prominent Middle Eastern air carriers announced that they would resume carrying passengers from the seven affected countries. Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, said U.S.-bound travelers from those countries with valid visas would be allowed to board.

In Egypt, Cairo airport and airline officials said they had received instructions from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend Trump's executive order.

But some officials were being more cautious, advising travelers to wait for further clarity.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said it was waiting for additional guidance from Washington.

The embassy said in a statement that it's "working to get more information."

Nael Zaino, 32, a Syrian who had tried for nearly a week to fly to the United States to join his wife and U.S.-born son, was allowed to board a flight from Istanbul and then Frankfurt, Germany, late Friday. He landed in Boston early Saturday afternoon and emerged from immigration two hours later, his sister-in-law Katty Alhayek said.

Zaino was believed to be among the first revoked-visa holders to enter the U.S. since the executive order went into effect. His advocates had sought a waiver for him from the State Department, citing family reunification.

But as they were pressing the State Department for a waiver, the federal judge in Washington state issued his order.

Iranians, many of them students on their way to U.S. universities, also rushed to book flights to transfer destinations in the Persian Gulf countries, Turkey and Europe. Pedram Paragomi, a 33-year-old Iranian medical student bound for the University of Pittsburgh, who had been caught up in the initial chaos over the travel ban, flew to Frankfurt on Saturday, where he was to transfer to a flight to Boston.

"I'm anxious," he said from Frankfurt. "The rules keep on changing, but I think I will make it this time."

At New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, volunteer lawyer Renee Paradis said most of the flights involving passengers from the affected countries were to arrive later Saturday.

"Anybody who comes here on a visa is supposed to be allowed in, so we would anticipate that somebody who is in the air would be able to land and enter," she said. "Of course, as with everything this week, it remains to be seen what happens on the ground."

Information for this article was contributed by Eric Tucker, Alicia A. Caldwell, Mark Sherman, Matthew Lee, Jessica Gresko, Martha Bellisle, William Mathis, Julie Walker, Susannah George, Hamza Hendawi, Adam Schreck, Niniek Karmini, Tammy Webber and Bassem Mroue of The Associated Press and by Mark Landler, Alexander Burns, Russell Goldman, Nicholas Kulish, Somini Sengupta, Adam Liptak, Gardiner Harris, Ron Nixon, Eric Lichtblau, Noah Weiland and Thomas Erdbrink of The New York Times.

A Section on 02/05/2017