SEATTLE (AP) - A federal judge's ruling temporarily lifting a ban on travel to the U.S. from certain countries triggered confusion in airports around the world as airlines began boarding flights bound for America and federal lawyers took steps to reinstate the ban.
An internal email circulated among Homeland Security officials Friday night told employees to immediately comply with the judge's ruling. However, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad said Saturday that they're still awaiting guidance on what to tell Iraqis eager to see if their visa restrictions had changed.
The White House said it would try to get a court to reinstate the ban that prompted the State Department to cancel visas for 60,000 or more people from the affected countries, causing widespread confusion at airports when some travelers were detained and others sent back.
As the impact of the ruling took hold, President Donald Trump lashed out on Twitter early Saturday morning, referring to U.S. District Judge James Robart as "this so-called judge" and calling his decree "ridiculous."
Trump tweeted, "The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned," Trump tweeted. "When a country is no longer able to say who can and who cannot come in & out, especially for reasons of safety & security - big trouble!"
