US President Donald Trump's Immigration Ban Loses First Legal Battle Saturday Jan 28,2017

A federal judge blocked Saturday Jan 28,2017 part of President Donald Trump's temporary immigration ban, ordering authorities to stop deporting refugees and other travelers stuck at US airports.

The federal court for the Eastern District of New York issued an emergency stay (pictured) Saturday evening. The stay means that none of the travelers detained in airports around the country can be deported

WHAT IS THE EMERGENCY STAY?

The emergency stay issued Saturday evening by a federal court is a temporary measure that preserves the status quo pending a permanent ruling.

It means that none of the travelers currently held at airports across the nation can be deported back to their countries.

That is because Judge Ann Donnelly ruled that doing so would cause the travelers irreparable harm.

The stay does not, however, mean that the travelers have to be let into the United States.

It is unclear what will happen to those detained.

The stay is not a ruling on Donald Trump's executive order enforcing the immigration ban.

Lawyers had filed a petition on behalf of two out of 12 refugees detained at JFK airport.

The men, two Iraqi nationals, had valid visas. One of them had worked for the US government for years.

ACLU attorneys had filed a petition on their behalf, but the stay is effective nationwide.

The lawyers who handled the case have also filed for class certification, which means other people affected by the order will be able to benefit from the stay as part of a class action

The decision accompanied growing resistance to Trump's crackdown on Muslim immigration, with large protests spreading at major airports across the country.

"Victory!!!!!!" the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), whose lawyers sued the government, tweeted after US District Judge Ann Donnelly issued her decision.

"Our courts today worked as they should as bulwarks against government abuse or unconstitutional policies and orders."

Protesters rallied in Brooklyn outside of the federal courthouse, which blocked Trump's order temporarily Saturday evening

Trump's sweeping executive order, signed Friday Jan 27,2017, suspends the arrival of refugees for at least 120 days and bars visas for travelers from seven Muslim majority countries for the next three months.

The move, which was implemented immediately by US authorities, sparked large protests at major airports across the country. At New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, some of the 2,000 demonstrators there chanted "Let them in, let them in!"

Large protests took place at the main airports for Washington, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas.

Donnelly's decision to issue a temporary stay -- which stopped short of ruling on the constitutionality of Trump's order -- came after dozens of people were detained at US airports following Trump's actions.

The exact number of those affected is unclear, but the judge ordered the government to provide lists of all those detained at US airports since the measure went into effect.

Sending those travelers back to their home countries following Trump's order exposes them to "substantial and irreparable injury," wrote Donnelly, who was appointed by Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.

A second federal judge in Virginia also issued a temporary order restricting immigration authorities for seven days from deporting legal permanent residents detained at Dulles Airport just outside Washington

Protestors rallied at a demonstration against the new ban on immigration issued by Trump at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts

A sea of protesters gathered outside of Terminal 4 of JFK after people from Muslim countries were detained at border control

More than 1,000 people gathered at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to protest Trump's order that restricts immigration

Demonstrators also gathered in San Francisco International Airport Saturday to protest against the ban on immigration

Hillary Clinton tweeted on Saturday evening that she supported those who had chosen to speak out against the ban

Cab drivers at New York City's JFK airport went on strike for an hour from 6 pm to 7 pm Saturday to protest against the ban

British PM Does 'Not Agree' With Trump Immigration Policy

British Prime Minister Theresa May does "not agree" with the restrictions on immigration imposed by US President Donald Trump and will intervene if they affect UK nationals, Downing Street said.

"Immigration policy in the United States is a matter for the government of the United States, just the same as immigration policy for this country should be set by our government," a spokesman said.

"But we do not agree with this kind of approach and it is not one we will be taking. If there is any impact on UK nationals then clearly we will make representations to the US government about that."

May had sparked controversy in Britain yesterday after refusing to condemn the order by Trump to suspend refugee arrivals, saying Washington was responsible for its own immigration policy.

"The United States is responsible for the United States' policy on refugees. The United Kingdom is responsible for the United Kingdom's policy on refugees," May said at a news conference during a trip to Ankara.

Note

WHO EXACTLY IS BANNED FROM THE U.S? 

Any non-U.S. citizen from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen is now barred from entering the United States.

That covers legal permanent residents - green card holders - and visa-holders from those seven countries who were out of the United States after Friday Jan 27,2017, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the temporary ban. They cannot return to the U.S. for 90 days.

There's an exemption for immigrants and legal permanent residents whose entry is in the U.S. national interest, but it's unclear how that exemption will be applied.

Visa and green card holders already in the U.S. will be allowed to stay.

Customs and Border Protection is notifying airlines about passengers whose visas have been canceled or legal residents scheduled to fly back to the U.S. Airlines are being told to keep them off those flights

WHAT WILL TRUMP'S ANTI-IMMIGRATION ORDER DO? 

Ban refugee entries from all countries for 120 days. Refugees can be accepted on case-by-case basis, including if they are a religious minority facing religious persecution

Block refugee entries from Syria indefinitely.

Cap refugee intake at 50,000 per year.

Ban visa and immigration entries for 90 days from Muslim-majority countries on banned list, including Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.

Suspend visa issuance to countries of particular concern.