HONOLULU (AP) – A judge in Hawaii has blocked the latest version of the Trump administration travel ban just hours before it was set to take effect.
U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson on Tuesday granted Hawaii’s request to temporarily block the federal government from enforcing the policy. It was supposed to take effect at midnight EDT Wednesday.
The Trump administration’s most recent restrictions affect citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen – and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.
Hawaii argues the updated ban is a continuation of President Donald Trump’s “promise to exclude Muslims from the United States.”
Other courts are weighing challenges to the policy. In Maryland, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups are seeking to block the visa and entry restrictions in the president’s latest proclamation.
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