US judge allows travellers who landed with visas to stay in country

NEW YORK: President Donald Trump's order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States hit a roadblock late on Saturday when a federal judge said stranded travelers could stay in the country.

The emergency court ruling was cheered at Boston's Logan International Airport, one of several major US airports where protesters angry with Trump's order gathered.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which sought the temporary stay, said it would help 100 to 200 people with valid visas or refugee status who found themselves detained in transit or at US airports after Trump signed the order late on Friday.

It was a dramatic end to Trump's first week in office, capped by the Republican president's four-month ban on refugees entering the United States and a 90-day hold on travelers from Syria and six other countries.

Trump had promised during his campaign what he called "extreme vetting" of immigrants and refugees to try to prevent terror attacks