US Resumes Visa Processing for 6 Muslim Nations After Court Ruling

Nationals from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen now can have their visas processed, after the District Court in Hawaii issued an Order preventing implementation of travel restrictions for nationals of those countries.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States State Department has instructed its embassies to resume regularly processing of visas for nationals from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, the department's official told Sputnik.

"The District Court in Hawaii has issued an Order preventing the Department of State from implementing Presidential Proclamation 9645 for nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. We have instructed our embassies and consulates to resume regular processing of visas for these nationals," the official said on Tuesday.

The official added that the US would proceed to implement the travel ban for nationals of North Korea and Venezuela in line with its objective of maximizing national security.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hawaii federal judge Derrick K. Watson issued a temporary restraining order that will keep the latest version of the travel ban from being enforced for six out of the eight countries on the list – the six Muslim-majority nations.

North Korea and Venezuela, which were added on the list in the most recent version of the ban, are not affected by the ruling.

The White House has called the court order "dangerously flawed," and said the Department of Justice would defend President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration.