Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban on people from seven mainly Muslim countries has been rolled back after a judge suspended it.
The state department said it was reversing the cancelation of visas, 60,000 of which were revoked after the executive order.
Judge James Robart ruled there were legal grounds to challenge the ban.
President Trump reacted furiously, calling Judge Robart’s ruling “ridiculous” and vowing to restore his ban.
People affected by the ban treated news of the suspension warily as airlines began allowing them to board flights to America on February 4.
Judge James Robart’s temporary restraining order on February 3 halted the ban with immediate effect.
Since then, the state department has said it is reversing visa cancellations and US homeland security employees have been told by their department to comply with the ruling.
Customs officials told airlines that they could resume boarding banned travelers. Qatar Airways, Air France, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and others said they would do so.
The Trump administration argues that the travel ban is designed to protect the United States.
It has promised to seek “at the earliest possible time” an emergency stay that would restore the restrictions.
Meanwhile, the US president has raged against Judge James Robard on Twitter.
He tweeted: “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!
“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!”
The executive order which has now been suspended banned Syrian refugees indefinitely.
Anyone arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan or Yemen faced a 90-day visa suspension.
Huge protests greeted the ban in the US, where demonstrators swamped airports to convey their message that America still welcomed refugees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzzMCB1-whE
