A top US judge has defied Donald Trump’s controversial Muslim ban bringing a temporary halt to people being detained at airports.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a legal case after President Trump made an executive order cracking down on immigration.
All refugees from the war-torn Syria have been banished indefinitely and people from six other Muslim-majority nations have been barred for 90 days.
President Trump’s order sparked confusion and anger on Saturday with immigrants and refugees kept off flights and left stranded at airports.
Up to 200 people including refugees and visa-holders of the blocked countries are currently being detained at airports, the ACLU said.
Many who were already in the air at the time of the order were detained at US airports when they arrived.
But the ruling from US District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York has brought a temporary halt stopping the US removing people with approved refugee applications, valid visas and other individuals “legally authorised to enter the United States”.
Protesters at airports across the US cheered at the decision, although the court action does not reverse the President’s order.
Along with Syria, the ban affects travelers with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The Department of Homeland Security said about 375 travelers had been affected by the order, 109 of whom were in transit and were denied entry to the United States. Another 173 were stopped by airlines before boarding.
