Trump lashes out at 'ridiculous' court ruling suspending travel ban, vows to get it overturned

US President Donald Trump lashedout on Saturday at a court ruling suspending his controversial banon travelers from seven Muslim countries, dismissing it as “ridiculous” and vowing to get it overturned.

The order blocking the ban, issued late Friday by SeattleUS District Judge James Robart, is valid across the UnitedStates, pending a full review of a complaint filed byWashington state’s attorney general.

The travel restrictions, which went into effect a weekago, have wreaked havoc at airports across America, sparkednumerous protests and left countless people hoping to reachthe United States in limbo.

“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentiallytakes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous andwill be overturned!” Trump wrote in a flurry of early morningtweets.

“When a country is no longer able to say who can, and whocannot, come in & out, especially for reasons of safety&.security - big trouble!” Trump wrote, less than 12 hoursafter the ruling was issued in Seattle.

“Interesting that certain Middle-Eastern countries agreewith the ban. They know if certain people are allowed in it’sdeath & destruction!” said Trump, who was in Florida for theweekend.

The White House said in a statement late Friday that theDepartment of Justice would fight the court to defend thetravel ban, “which we believe is lawful and appropriate.”

“The president’s order is intended to protect the homelandand he has the constitutional authority and responsibility toprotect the American people,” said the statement from WhiteHouse spokesman Sean Spicer.

Trump’s executive order blocks citizens of Iran, Iraq,Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entry into the USfor 90 days.

Syrian refugees are barred indefinitely, and refugees fromother countries are barred from entry for 120 days.

'Friday’s ruling by the federal court in Seattle was notthe first to challenge the travel ban, but it was the mostsweeping as it effectively vacated the main tenets of theorder.

Washington state’s attorney general, Bob Ferguson, saidthe order technically means that anyone with a valid visa mustbe allowed entry into the country by Customs and BorderProtection (CBP).

“The constitution prevailed on Saturday,” Ferguson said,describing the judge’s decision as historic. “No one is abovethe law—not even the president.”

“It is not the loudest voice that prevails in a courtroom,it’s the constitution,” he added, pointing out that Robart wasappointed by Republican president George W. Bush.

The State Department said Friday that up to 60,000 peoplefrom the seven targeted countries had their visas canceled asa result of the order. A Justice Department attorney, however,told a court hearing in Virginia that about 100,000 visas hadbeen revoked.