U.S. judge in Hawaii extends halt on Trump travel ban

A federal judge in Hawaii on Wednesday extended the order blocking President Trump's controversial travel ban until the state's lawsuit is resolved. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson issued the ruling after hearing arguments. State Attorney General Douglas Chin argued that the ban's message is like a "neon sign flashing 'Muslim ban, Muslim ban'" that the government did not turn off.  Hawaii argued two key points about the travel ban: that it discriminates against Muslims and that it will negatively impact the state's tourism industry.
The state argued that extending the temporary order ensures the constitutional rights of American Muslims are vindicated after "repeated stops and starts of the last two months."
But the U.S. government has argued that the travel ban is within its purvue, because its aids in the country's national security.  And Department of Justice attorney Chad Readler downplayed the state's concerns about the ban's impact on foreign students and the tourism industry, telling told Judge Watson via telephone that the state was too general in its concerns pertaining to the aforementioned issues. The Trump administration had asked Judge Watson to limit his ruling to cover only the part of the president's executive order that suspends new visas for people from six countries.