US President Donald Trump ramped up his criticism of the judiciary for blocking his travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations, saying the federal judge and the court would be to blame "if something happens".
Trump said that he has asked the Department of Homeland Security to do a very "careful" checkup of those entering the country after the court order.
"Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!" Trump tweeted yesterday.
"I have instructed Homeland Security to check people coming into our country VERY CAREFULLY. The courts are making the job very difficult!"
Trump's criticism comes after the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, in a brief order, denied the administration's request to set aside a Seattle judge James Robart's ruling that put a temporary hold on the ban.
Trump says the 90-day travel ban on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and a 120-day bar on all refugees, are necessary to protect the United States from Islamist militants.
The travel restrictions have drawn protests in the US, provoked criticism from US allies and created chaos for thousands of people who have, in some cases, spent years seeking asylum.
In his ruling, Robart questioned the use of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States as a justification for the ban, saying no attacks had been carried out on US soil by individuals from the seven affected countries since then.
For Trump's order to be constitutional, Judge Robart said, it had to be "based in fact, as opposed to fiction".
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Trump attacked "the opinion of this so-called judge" as ridiculous.
US Vice President Mike Pence yesterday called the federal judge's ruling a "wrong decision" and vowed the Trump administration will take "all legal means" to protect the country.
"We believe the judge made the wrong decision, the Boston court made the right decision. We're going to continue to use all legal means at our disposal to stay that order and move forward to take the steps necessary to protect our country," Pence told Fox News.
