A US judge has issued a temporary halt to the deportation of visa holders or refugees stranded at airports following President Trump’s executive order.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a case in response to the order issued on Friday.
The group estimates that between 100 and 200 people are being detained at airports or in transit.
Thousands of people have been protesting at US airports over Mr Trump’s clampdown on immigration.
His executive order halted the entire US refugee programme and also instituted a 90-day travel ban for nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Those who were already mid-flight were detained on arrival – even if they held valid visas or other immigration permits.
On Saturday, Mr Trump told reporters: “It’s working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over.
“The ruling, from US District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York, prevented the removal from the US of people with approved refugee applications, valid visas, and “other individuals… legally authorised to enter the United States”.
The emergency ruling also said there was a risk of “substantial and irreparable injury” to those affected.
Her ruling is not on the constitutionality of Mr Trump’s executive order. What will happen to those still held at airports remains unclear.
Early on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security said it would comply with judicial rulings but would continue to enforce Mr Trump’s order.
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