US President Donald Trump has vowed to fight a federal court ruling halting his revised temporary ban of refugees and nationals from six Muslim-majority countries, describing the decision as "judicial overreach."
"The law in the constitution gave the president the power to suspend immigration when he deems it to be in the national interest of our country," he said at a rally in Nashville, Tennessee, yesterday following the decision by the Hawaii court.
He told the cheering crowd that his administration would "take our case as far as it needs to go, including all the way up to the Supreme Court. We are going to win."
The court order was welcomed by the opposition Democratic party, rights groups and several Indian-American groups.
"Hawaii is a place where people with different ideas, backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities feel welcomed and respected. It's only right that our Attorney General Doug Chin represent those values in working to stop this blanket travel ban from going into effect. This travel ban is bad policy, plain and simple," said Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii.
"Today's ruling underscores that no one, not even a President, can green light discrimination and racism," said Suman Raghunathan, executive director of South Asian Americans leading Together (SAAlT).
"Despite the administration's legal gymnastics, the Muslim Ban 2.0 remains a stimulus package for hate that has already fanned the flames of fear, violence, and tragedy in our communities. We call upon the President to rescind this executive order in full and begin the work of healing our divided and wounded country," she said.
House Democratic Whip Steny H Hoyer said he is not at all surprised that a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s revised travel ban from taking effect, mirroring the rulings that blocked the previous ban.
"The President and his advisors have been clear all along that the point of instituting such a travel ban is to keep Muslims from entering our country – a clear violation of the First Amendment," he said.