By Patrick Donachie
A federal appellate court in California refused to restore President Donald Trump’s travel ban Thursday evening, a decision that numerous elected officials in the borough and city applauded.
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) said she was happy with the unanimous decision by the three-judge panel to refuse to grant the Justice Department’s request for a stay on a lower court’s ruling that placed an injunction on Trump’s barring of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries and refugees.
“President Trump’s executive order was unconstitutional when he signed it, and it should never be allowed to impact another person seeking refuge in America,” she said. “Immigrants have always made America great, a Muslim ban never will.”
The executive order was signed Jan. 27 and restricted travel for immigrants from Iran, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and Sudan. Entry to the United States was barred for 90 days, with the refugee program suspended for 120 days. Immigration from Syria was halted indefinitely under the order. Its implementation caused confusion and mass protests at airports throughout the country, including large demonstrations at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Many individuals and organizations filed suit to stop the ban.
A Seattle federal judge ruled in favor of a temporary restraining order on the executive order last week filed by the states of Washington and Minnesota and the 9th Circuit upheld that ruling. Trump has pledged to continue legal action on the validity of the order, tweeting shortly after the ruling from the 9th Circuit was announced.
“See you in court, the security of our nation is at stake!” the tweet read.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, a frequent Trump critic, also spoke about the 9th Circuit’s ruling, lauding the decision by the three judges.
“The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just said, ‘No you can’t,’ to the Trump administration and its un-American travel and refugee bans,” he said. “Here in New York – the safest big city in America – we will always protect our neighbors, no matter where they came from or when they got here. Those are our values.”
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
