Refugees Detained at U.S. Airports Take Legal Action Over Trump's Order
FALLOUT
Two of them take legal action after Trump's order.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
In the hours immediately after President Trump signed an executive order banning Muslim refugees on Friday night, refugees who were in the air at the time of the order’s signing were detained upon arrival at U.S. airports. Two Iraqi refugees detained in New York have taken legal action over the measure, with their lawyers filing a writ of habeas corpus on Saturday, the New York Times reported. They also filed a motion for class certification in a bid to represent all refugees who have been detained as a result of Trump’s order. It was not immediately clear how many refugees have been detained across the country, but complaints have been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the International Refugee Assistance Project at the Urban Justice Center and the National Immigration Law Center, among other groups. Trump’s controversial refugee ban had a ripple effect across the world late Friday and early Saturday, with migrants heading to the U.S. stopped from traveling. In Cairo, seven refugees – six from Iraq and one from Yemen – were prevented from boarding their EgyptAir flight to New York, according to the AP.