Politics & Government

White House Weighing Options On Trump Immigration Order, Reports Say

The Trump administration was met with legal setbacks and strong opposition to the controversial order signed in late January.

White House lawyers are working to rewrite President Donald Trump's executive order that temporarily banned nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, MSNBC is reporting. At the same time, Trump told reporters he's confident he'll win the court battle, but the administration has a lot of "other options."

The Trump administration has dealt with several legal setbacks regarding the order, the latest coming from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that ruled Thursday not to lift a Seattle judge's temporary restraining order that put a stop to the implementation of the immigration order.

Aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters on his way to Florida that he's confident he'll win the court battle but said the administration has a lot of other options, "including just filing a new order," The Associated Press reports. Trump said the new order would likely change very little and he would likely act Monday or Tuesday.

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Meanwhile, sources tell MSNBC that White House lawyers are working on drafting an executive order that could find favors in the federal courts.

At the same time, a source tells CNN that the administration is not currently planning on appealing the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court to the Supreme Court. The Washington Post also reported the news, citing officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity as saying the White House and the Department of Justice are mulling whether to ask the full 9th Circuit or the Supreme Court to intervene. However, just minutes later the Post reported that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said the White House is reviewing all options, including possibly going to the Supreme Court.

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The 9th Circuit's ruling Thursday means that travelers from the seven countries in the executive order - Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran, Iraq, and Yemen - can continue to travel to the United States. Refugees from Syria and other countries may also enter the U.S.

Last Friday, Seattle U.S. District Court Judge James L. Robart granted Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson a temporary restraining order suspending Trump's executive order nationwide. The restraining order is temporary until a lawsuit brought by Washington and Minnesota to repeal the executive order completely is heard in court. That lawsuit will continue to move forward.

Trump's order, originally signed Jan. 27, caused widespread chaos. Travelers from the seven countries - and some refugees - were halted at airports across the country and either detained or sent back to where they originated from. Scores of travelers were affected, including green card holders and others with valid visas.
In response, protesters gathered at airports form Sea-Tac to JFK in New York City. The American Civil Liberties Union won a temporary injunction against the order on Jan. 28, blocking some deportations. On Jan. 29, Trump Chief of Staff Reince Priebus announced on a news talk show that green card holders would be allowed to travel to the U.S.

Court rulings in different states blocked various aspects of the order and Robart's ruling was the broadest. After the ruling, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying it was complying with the judicial order and had stopped implementing Trump's order. The State Department said it was reversing the visa revocation of tens of thousands of travelers under the order.

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