Federal judges block Trump’s second attempt to institute travel ban

US President Donald J Trump/AP-File Photo

Washington: US President Donald Trump's administration will appeal rulings by two federal judges who blocked his second attempt to institute a travel ban, media reports said. "We intend to appeal the flawed rulings," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in his daily press briefing on Thursday, referring to temporary stays issued by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland. Spicer said Trump had the authority to impose a 90-day ban on the issuance of visas to people from six Muslim-majority countries...and halt the US refugee program for 120 days, Efe news reported. "The danger (of terrorists entering the US) is real. And the law is clear," said the White House spokesman. He added that the Trump administration was exploring all available options to vigorously defend the revised executive order. Trump's original travel ban suspended US entry for all refugees as well as travellers from a group of Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Imposed on January 27, the travel ban also was blocked by a federal judge. Among the alterations made in the revised order were the removal of Iraq from the list of targeted nations and an exemption for lawful permanent residents and travellers who obtained US visas ahead of the January 27 announcement. The revised order also does not indefinitely bar Syrian refugees from entering the US. The federal judges who issued the latest stays found that Trump's order did not offer solid evidence of a terrorist threat and was unconstitutional because it discriminated against people on the basis of their religion.