Federal Judge Rules that U.S. Airports Can't Deport Detainees

Cortney O'Brien | January 28, 2017 9:15 PM

UPDATE (11:45 p.m. ET): A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that the government must give detainees at Dulles International airport access to lawyers, as well as temporary restraining orders to prohibit the deportations of any green-card holders for at least a week.

Another victory in Washington. US District Judge Brinkema ordered Govt to give detainees at Dulles Airport immediate access to lawyers.??????? pic.twitter.com/vluBP7hvBz
— Ibad Ur Rehman (@ibadrehman) January 29, 2017

UPDATE: Two Iraqi detainees at JFK airport have been granted release.

Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi, the second Iraqi national detained at JFK Airport, will be released https://t.co/m5qWwIRCTu
— CNN (@CNN) January 29, 2017

UPDATE: The ACLU has provided proof of their court victory.

Signed judge's order. No refugees are going to be immediately deported pic.twitter.com/sbfaG7DBt0
— ACLU National (@ACLU) January 29, 2017

***Original Post***

The American Civil Liberties Union has won its legal challenge against President Trump and his executive order to ban refugees from seven Middle Eastern and African nations. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York has granted a stay, meaning travelers from those countries cannot be deported. The ruling affects airports nationwide.

Update: Fed Judge says US can't deport anyone currently detained in airports as result of President Trump order. https://t.co/dn9hb9i5Qs
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) January 29, 2017

ACLU affiliates are cheering the victory against what they term a "Muslim ban."

Protesters and politicians were demanding the release of detainees in airports across the country, most notably New York's John F. Kennedy International and Virginia's Dulles airport. The federal judge's ruling will cover any traveler who was en route from the countries included in the executive order and is being detained at U.S. airports.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article stated that the refugees detained in U.S. airports would be released on the condition of the ACLU court victory. However, the federal judge's ruling states that refugees cannot be immediately deported, it did not specify whether the detainees would be released. At least not yet. We apologize for the error.