Samira Asgari is greeted US Congressman Joe Kennedy at Logan Airport after she cleared US customs and immigration in Boston, Massachusetts. Reuters/Brian SnyderWashington: The U.S. State Department on Saturday suspended president Donald Trump's controversial ban on travelers from seven Muslim countries, following a court ruling that blocked its enforcement.
"We have reversed the provisional revocation of visas," the State Department official said in a statement. "Those individuals with visas that were not physically canceled may now travel if the visa is otherwise valid."
The department had said some 60,000 travel visas had been revoked in compliance with the president's recent executive order.
The official added that the Trump administration is "working closely with the Department of Homeland Security and our legal teams" pending a full review of a complaint filed by Washington state's attorney general, which filed one of several legal challenges to the measure.
The Department of Homeland Security, in a separate statement on Saturday wrote: "In accordance with the judge's ruling, DHS has suspended any and all actions implementing the affected sections of the executive order."
It added: "DHS personnel will resume inspection of travelers in accordance with standard policy and procedure," but said that US Department of Justice officials would launch an appeal "at the earliest possible time" to reinstate the ban, which the Trump administration believes "is lawful and appropriate."
"The order is intended to protect the homeland and the American people, and the President has no higher duty and responsibility than to do," the DHS statement said.
'Ridiculous'
Trump meanwhile lashed out at the court ruling suspending his controversial ban affecting travelers from seven Muslim countries dismissing it as "ridiculous" and vowing to get it overturned.
Donald TrumpThe order, issued late Friday by Seattle US district judge James Robart, is valid across the United States, pending a full review of a complaint filed by Washington state's attorney general.
The travel restrictions, which went into effect a week ago, have wreaked havoc at airports across America, sparked numerous protests and left countless people hoping to reach the United States in limbo.
"The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!" Trump wrote in a flurry of early morning tweets.
"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!" he said in yet another tweet as he lashed out at those who are opposing his ban on people coming from these seven Muslim-majority countries.
"Interesting that certain Middle-Eastern countries agree with the ban. They know if certain people are allowed in it's death & destruction!" Trump said.
Trump's executive order, which went into effect a week ago, blocks citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entry into the US for 90 days, while barring entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely, and refugees from other countries for 120 days.
The controversial order which many Democrats have termed as "unconstitutional" and "illegal," has felled protests across US airports where many travelers with valid documents to enter the country have been detained.
The US president, who is spending his weekend at Mar-a- Lago continued to lash out at The New York Times, which has been critical of his policies.
"After being forced to apologize for its bad and inaccurate coverage of me after winning the election, the FAKE NEWS @nytimes is still lost!" Trump said.
The New York Times had endorsed Ohio Governor John Kasich in the primaries and Hillary Clinton in the general elections.
Trump, who uses tweeter as a medium of communication with his large support base, alleges that traditional media outlets like The New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post have been unfair to him in their coverage and very often indulge in inaccurate reporting.
"Make America Great Again," Trump said in another tweet.
