By Danielle Silvia
Staff Writer
President Donald Trump’s travel ban has been suspended.
Federal Judge James L. Robart issued a temporary order invalidating Trump’s ban on Feb. 3 in which he gave those holding visas from the seven previously restricted countries “safe passage,” according to NBC.
The same source reported that routine air travel has resumed in accordance with Robart’s ruling.
The ban originally prevented people from seven predominantly Muslim nations from entering the U.S. for the next 90 days in order to protect against terrorism.
This impacted travelers from Libya, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia, as well as refugees.
Refugees were banned for 120 days, and “all Syrian refugees were stopped indefinitely” from entering the U.S., according to NBC.
The Department of Homeland Security has revoked Trump’s order, formally suspending any action taken to comply with the travel ban, NBC reported.
Protocol used prior to the travel ban will again be implemented to inspect travelers entering the U.S. from these seven nations, according to NBC.
The Justice Department needed to challenge the ruling "at the earliest possible time,” according to CNN.
The State Department has also reversed the annulling of visas under Trump’s executive order, CNN reported.
The State Department reported that there fewer than 60,000 foreigners who had their visas repealed once the ban went into effect, according to CNN.
"Those individuals with visas that were not physically cancelled may now travel if the visa is otherwise valid," the State Department said, according to NBC.
The International Air Transport Association sent a message to all airlines on the morning of Feb. 4 to confirm that the repeal of the travel ban means regular practices should resume, NBC reported.
The same source reported that visas previously disregarded have been reinstated for all those affected.
"This ruling shuts down the (president's) executive order immediately — shuts it down — so people can travel like they did before," said Bob Ferguson, Washington attorney general, according to Fox News.
Many travelers from the previously banned countries are currently attempting to enter the U.S., as they are concerned that their window of opportunity is narrow, according to The New York Times.
Americans and foreigners alike have been responding positively to this change, while Trump fired a storm of tweets rejecting this repeal.
A tweet from Trump on Feb. 4 reads: “The judge opens up our country to potential terrorists and others that do not have our best interests at heart. Bad people are very happy!”
