State Dept. Reinstates Visas, Reverses Trump Travel Ban ‘For Now’

The State Department has reinstated approximately 60,000 visas which were “provisionally revoked” from foreigners from seven majority-Muslim countries after US President Donald Trump’s January 27 decision to ban nationals from seven countries — Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia — from entering the country.

The State Department says travelers holding a valid visa can for now enter the United States. The intervention came after a federal judge put on hold Trump’s executive order on immigration, which in the meantime did not affect EU citizens even if they held dual citizenship in one of the listed countries.

The Justice Department, meanwhile, issued a statement stressing that halting enforcement of the ban “harms the public” and “second-guesses the president’s national security judgment”. The Trump administration added that it will use “every legal means” to reinstate the executive order on refugees and immigration, but will comply with the judge’s order until a hearing or rule on whether the ban should remain suspended.

“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” US President Trump said via his Twitter account and added that the said judge — James Robart — will be responsible if America is attacked.