US President Donald Trump has been dealt with a major blow barely a week in office after a federal court in Eastern District of New York issued an emergency stay blocking deportation of immigrants, reports the Daily Mail.
The new president, who also signed an executive order that would see a physical wall built along US-Mexico border, had banned entry of immigrants to the US as one of his election pledges.
On Saturday, at least 14 refugees were held at JKF International Airport before the temporary reprieve by the federal court.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump defended his immigration rules, which prompted outrage as immigrants were barred from entering US with families of refugees and Ivy League university students being among the casualties.
Trump ,70, maintained that his measures worked 'nicely' while chaos broke out in airports when the ban came into effect.
His comments reportedly came as immigrants around the US were detained in airports because they arrived after the executive order was signed.
The Republican president replaced Kenyan-American President Barack Obama after defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in November last year.