U.S. Judge issues stay order on deportation of people at airports

A federal judge in New York has issued a stay order that blocks the deportation of people stranded at the U.S. airports under President Donald Trump's executive orders.

"The petitioners have a strong likelihood of success in establishing that the removal of the petitioner and other similarly situated violates their due process and equal protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution," CNN quoted US District Judge Ann Donnelly, as saying in her decision.

The two Iraqi petitioners had been released by Saturday night, but lawyers said in a court filing that "dozens and dozens" of people remained in detention at the John F. Kennedy International Airport.

 

President Trump's executive order to close American borders to travellers from some Muslim-majority countries has caused chaos and protests at major airports worldwide as many were barred from boarding flights to the U.S. or were pulled off planes overseas.

By Saturday evening, there were 11 people in detention at New York City's John F Kennedy airport who had arrived from Iraq and other barred countries.

Asserting that the government was "totally prepared" for the ban, President Trump said, "It's working out very nicely. You see it at the airports. You see it all over. It's working out very nicely and we're going to have a very, very strict ban."

However, widespread confusion prevailed across the country as authorities at airports struggled to adjust to the new directives.

Trump's executive order, signed on Friday, temporarily banned refugees from around the world, blocked Syrian refugees indefinitely and halted entry for 90 days for people from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia.

According to a state department spokesman, the travellers who have dual nationality between a country on the list and another non-US country have also been barred from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

The order provides for giving priority to religious minorities in those Muslim countries. Trump has said the U.S. will in future prioritise Christian refugees.