Lawyers for two Iraqi men have filed lawsuits against Donald J. Trump after they were prevented from leaving John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.
An executive order, signed this week by Donald Trump, prevents the admission of Iraqi citizens into the United States for 90 days.
CNN has reported that according to court papers “both men legally were allowed to come into the US but were detained in accordance with Trump’s move to ban travel from several Muslim-majority nations.”
Lawyers for the detained men have argued that the detention of people with valid visas is illegal.
One of the men has been named as Hameed Khalid Darweesh, who worked as an interpreter for the United States government during the Iraq War. He was contracted by the United States for ten years between 2003 and 2013.
“Our courageous plaintiff and countless others risked their lives helping US service members in Iraq. Trump’s order puts those who have helped us in harm’s way by denying them the safe harbor they have been promised in the United States,” said Karen Tumlin, legal director at the National Immigration Law Centre.
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