HAWAII – A US federal judge in Hawaii has extended the suspension of President Donald Trump’s new travel ban for indefinite time.
According to BBC, Judge Derrick Watson made the ruling after hearing the arguments presented by the state of Hawaii and the US Department of Justice.
After the ruling, Trump will be barred from implementing the ban on six mostly Muslim nations while it is contested in court.
In a lawsuit, the US state argued that the ban would have a damaging affect on tourism and the ability to recruit foreign students and workers.
Meanwhile, the President is of the view that the ban will prevent terrorists from entering the United States.
The judge turned his earlier suspension order into a preliminary injunction that would have a more lasting effect.
The latest executive orders of Trump would have placed a 90-day ban on people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and a 120-day ban on refugees.
In January, the president issued an order banning entry from seven Muslim states that sparked confusion and protests. The order was later blocked by a judge in Seattle.
Trump has complained of “unprecedented judicial overreach”, pledging to take the case “as far as it needs to go”.
