A ruling by a federal judge in Washington state has thrown the legitimacy of the ban into question as US customs tell airlines to start allowing people back into the country. Follow all the developments here
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7.50am GMT
7.26am GMT
President Trump has been unusually quiet on his Twitter @POTUS account given the furore surrounding his presidential travel ban order. Not a peep from him from on his weekend getaway at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. But there were photos of him and Melania arriving there. US magazine websites said the couple was “reuniting for the weekend”.
7.21am GMT
Bob Ferguson, Washington state attorney general, has placed himself in the spotlight with his legal challenge to the Trump administration’s “unconstitutional and unlawful” order.
Here he is talking to the media on Friday:
6.39am GMT
Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, has hailed the Seattle judge’s order to impose a temporary halt on the travel ban.
“This ruling is a victory for the Constitution and for all of us who believe this un-American executive order will not make us safer,” he said in a statement.
President Trump should heed this ruling and he ought to back off and repeal the executive order once and for all.
6.27am GMT
Students have been protesting the travel ban in Indonesia and the Philippines.
In Jakarta, Associated Press reports that dozens of students and activists from several rights groups called on the Indonesian government and the international community to help stop Trump’s order. Banners waved by demonstrators included “I’m angry with Trump” and “No ban, no wall”.
6.19am GMT
The Washington state attorney general, Bob Ferguson (@AGOWA) who brought the case in Seattle, has tweeted a photo the judge’s temporary restraining order on the travel ban.
pic.twitter.com/wgNb2FBlUu
Long line of lawyers, media, others waiting for Seattle federal court hearing on @AGOWA lawsuit against @POTUS #ImmigrationOrder pic.twitter.com/1JRN4ZudPZ
5.56am GMT
A four-month-old Iranian girl in need of an emergency heart surgery has received an emergency waiver for Donald Trump’s 90-day travel ban on Iranian citizens, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced late on Friday.
“This evening we were pleased to learn that the federal government has now granted Fatemeh Reshad and her family boarding documents to come to the United States,” Cuomo said in a statement Friday night. He said that a team of pediatric cardiac doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York had agreed to help the family pro bono, and that a law firm was funding the travel.
5.51am GMT
Australians concerned that the country’s refugee resettlement deal with the US may be in doubt have held protests across the country.
Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!
Australia’s fragile refugee resettlement deal with the US has brought thousands of people on to city streets, decrying the US president’s immigration ban and demanding an end to Australia’s offshore processing policy of asylum seekers.
The deal, purportedly, is for the US to resettle up to 1250 refugees from Australia’s offshore detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru, where refugees have been held for more than three years, and which are the subject of sustained criticism over systemic violence by guards, sexual assaults, including of children, and deaths from murder, suicide and inadequate medical care.
5.31am GMT
The US customs and border protection agency has reportedly told airlines to resume operation as normal – that is, as if the Trump travel ban order never existed. But you could be forgiven for being confused by the statement on its website, which gives information about the 27 January executive order “Protecting the National from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”. There doesn’t seem to be any information on the court ruling in Seattle which has put a nation-wide stop on Trump’s ban.
5.21am GMT
Passengers who are affected by the travel ban have been asked to check airline websites for information before travelling. But I’m not sure how much luck they are going to have. I’ve looked at several and can’t see any reference to the court ruling or what it means for anyone.
5.17am GMT
On what’s turning out to be a major news day in the Trump administration, the White House announced it was imposing sanctions on companies and individuals suspected of involvement in Iran’s missile programme and its support for foreign armed groups, warning there will be more pressure on Tehran to come.
Donald Trump accused Iran of “playing with fire”.
Iran is playing with fire - they don't appreciate how "kind" President Obama was to them. Not me!
The sanctions announced on Friday targeted on a dozen companies and 13 individuals, including Chinese firms suspected of supplying parts used in Iran’s missile development programme. The measures were invoked in response to a January missile test by Iran and the country’s support for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“The Trump administration will no longer tolerate Iran’s provocations that threaten our interests,” Trump’s national security advisor, Michael Flynn, said in a statement. “The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over.”
5.07am GMT
Protests over the travel ban continued in the US on Friday, including a large group that gathered in a parking lot of Kennedy International Airport in New York for the Friday Prayer.
4.59am GMT
According to the New York Times, is is not unusual for district courts to issue nationwide injunctions blocking executive actions. It says the “federal government must obey such injunctions even when other district courts have declined to issue injunctions in similar cases.”
You can see the full NYT story here
Related: Airlines told to allow previously banned travelers to US, after judge's order – reports
4.42am GMT
One of our correspondents in the US, Alan Yuhas, has just filed a story on US airlines being told to let in people previously banned under the executive order. He says the Seattle court ruling opens the path for states to sue the White House.
Here’s are top lines from Alan’s report:
After a federal judge in Seattle ordered a temporary halt on Donald Trump’s travel ban for refugees and people from seven predominantly-Muslim nations, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reportedly told US airlines that they could board travelers who had been barred.
Trump administration offers conflicting numbers of revoked visas after travel banRead more
4.41am GMT
Trump’s defence secretary has put the cat among the pigeons on his visit to Japan. James Mattis said today that the US would defend Japan if it got into a conflict with China over the disputed South China Sea islands.
The Chinese foreign ministry says the US should avoid complicating the issue and “bringing instability to the regional situation”.
China has accused the US of putting the stability of the Asia-Pacific at risk after Donald Trump’s defence secretary said Washington would come to Japan’s defence in the event of a conflict with Beijing over the disputed Senkaku islands.
James Mattis, on a two-day visit to Japan, said the islands, which are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China, fell within the scope of the Japan-US security treaty, under which Washington is obliged to defend all areas under Japanese administrative control.
4.35am GMT
The executive order signed by Donald Trump on 27 January suspended the entire US refugee admissions system, already one of the most rigorous in the world, for 120 days. It also suspended the Syrian refugee program indefinitely, and banned entry to the US to people from seven majority-Muslim countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – for 90 days.
A district judge in the state of Virginia ordered the White House to provide a list of names of “all persons who have been denied entry to or removed from the United States” – a total that tops at least 60,000 people, according to the state department.
4.28am GMT
The Department of Justice has reportedly said it will not act tonight to counter the Washington state court ruling, so there won’t be any legal challenge until Saturday at the latest. It’s unclear on what grounds the justice department might appeal the ruling.
4.19am GMT
President Trump has not commented so far on the Washington court’s ruling to stop his travel ban, but earlier on Friday he denounced the attempted knife attack on soldiers guarding the Louvre Museum in Paris. He tweeted that “We must keep ‘evil’ out of our country!
A new radical Islamic terrorist has just attacked in Louvre Museum in Paris. Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART U.S.
We must keep "evil" out of our country!
4.12am GMT
The ruling in Washington has created confusion about travellers about which ruling applies to them. The US Customs & Border Protection agency told American airlines that they can once again board travellers who had been barred by an executive order last week. But it’s unclear what it means as yet to travellers who are stuck overseas.
4.10am GMT
Legal challenges challenging the travel ban have been taking place in seven states across America, including Washington, where the temporary stay on the ban was handed down, Massachusetts, where a judge ruled the travel ban could re-start on Sunday, Hawaii, New York, Virginia, Michigan and California. You can read the full story on the challenges here.
4.03am GMT
Politico website says the conflicting court rulings prompted a “typically combative reaction from the Trump White House but in a departure from recent patterns, the most confrontational language was quickly dialled back.” That’s a reference to the fact that the White House originally called the court ruling to temporarily stop the travel ban “outrageous”.
White House hits back after judge issues broad block against @realDonaldTrump's travel ban https://t.co/5SPV025m9R via @joshgerstein pic.twitter.com/GSGWaxEzot
3.54am GMT
In the middle of the legal questions over the travel ban, Trump’s pick for secretary of the army has withdrawn his name for consideration for the job. The Military Times reported that Vincent Viola, an army veteran and founder of a high-speed trading firm, cited his inability to get around Defence Department rules concerning his family businesses. In a statement, Viola told the Military times he was “deeply honoyred” to be nominated for the post, but concluded that he would not be able to successfully navigate the confirmation process.
More big news— Trump's pick for Army Secretary, Vincent Viola, has withdrawn his name from consideration tonight https://t.co/hjyeHHtvu5
3.48am GMT
The legal controversy comes as President Trump takes a weekend break at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with his wife Melania.
3.46am GMT
Washington attorney general, Bob Ferguson hailed the court decision as “the first order of its kind” and declared that it “shuts down the executive order immediately”. Ferguson said: “No one is above the law – not even the president.”
3.44am GMT
Washington state governor Jay Inslee’s impassioned comments about the ruling has, not surprisingly, divided opinion on social media.
@JayInslee is dangerous for this country.
@JayInslee Bravo!! Thank you for doing the right thing!! As former residents of WA state, so proud!! #factsmatter
@VickyBrush @JayInslee @realDonaldTrump you own any attack on our country. why cant we suspend immigration to set new policy and questions
Let's all move to Washington State tomorrow with @JayInslee @OUGradPolitico @Lowe1966
3.44am GMT
The Washington court granted the stay on the travel ban after a request from lawyers for the state asked him to stop the government from acting on critical sections of the presidential order. Trump’s executive order barred US citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering America as well as refugees.
3.41am GMT
Debate is raging amongst lawyers about how two federal courts in two states can make conflicting rulings.
3.40am GMT
The US state department issued a statement a short time ago saying that it had been informed by the justice department about Judge Robart’s ruling.
It said it was working with the department of homeland security to determine how the ruling affected its operations and would announce any changes affecting travelers to the United States as soon as that information is available.
3.38am GMT
Here are the two statements from the White House deriding the judgement in Seattle to stay the travel ban. The second one has the word “outrageous” removed.
The White House has just released an updated statement about the travel ban ruling— it removes the word "outrageous", talking abt the order. pic.twitter.com/Jse8PiPw8c
3.36am GMT
Washington state’s governor, Jay Inslee, said he felt heartened by the court ruling his his state.
We should feel heartened by today’s victory and more resolute than ever that we are fighting on the right side of history.
3.34am GMT
Court challenges against the travel ban have been taking place in seven states across America. On Friday a federal court judge in Boston declined to extend a temporary injunction against Trump’s travel ban. According to that ruling, a temporary injunction against the ban would expire on Sunday. But the Washington state ruling in Seattle institutes a nationwide temporary restraining order. The two conflicting rulings have created legal chaos.
3.28am GMT
You can see the original statement by the White House press secretary here.
3.26am GMT
The White House had described the temporary order halting the travel ban from Washington state as “outrageous”. But a second statement from the White House has removed the word “outrageous”, suggesting a change of tone.
3.18am GMT
Reports out of the United States say the US Customs and Border Protection agency has told airlines to board travellers affected by President Trump’s travel ban. It follows a ruling in Washington state on Friday in which a federal court judge ordered a temporary halt on Donald Trump’s travel ban for refugees and people from seven predominantly Muslim nations, opening the path for states to sue the White House over his order. You can read the full story here:
3.11am GMT
A statement from the White House says the Department of Justice intends to file an “emergency stay of this outrageous order and defend the executive order of the President, which we believe is lawful and appropriate.”
It said the president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.
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