Some, Not All, Banned by Immigration Order May Board for Boston, Airline Says in Updated Statement

German airline Lufthansa has changed its statement Friday regarding the boarding of Boston-bound passengers who were banned from entering the United States under President Donald Trump's immigration ban. Now it seems it applies to some who are banned, not all.

"Admission will be refused to visitors with a passport issued by 7 countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - and holding a valid immigrant or non-immigrant visa for the US," the updated statement said.

Lufthansa originally said in a statement Thursday that in response to a Boston Federal Court order, it will allow travel to Logan International Airport by visitors with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as those holding a valid immigrant or non-immigrant visa for the US.

"Due to a decision (Temporary Restraint Order) by the District Court in Massachusetts, the above mentioned Order is suspended on flights to BOS for the time being until February 5th, 2017," Thursday's statement said. "All passengers with valid travel documents are eligible to board on LH-flights to BOS."

• READ: Federal Judge Promises to Rule on Hold of Trump's Ban by Sunday

The Boston temporary restraining order came about in the wee hours of last Sunday morning, after attorneys with the ACLU petitioned the court to stay Trump's order. It delayed Trump's order from taking effect in the state for seven days, and is considered the broadest of the orders issued by federal judges around the country in the wake of the ban.

As explained in The Boston Globe, "The ruling prohibits federal officials from detaining or deporting immigrants and refugees with valid visas or green cards or forcing them to undergo extra security screenings based solely on Trump’s order. The judges also instructed Customs and Border Protection to notify airlines overseas that it is safe to put immigrants on US-bound flights."

Lufthansa is the first airline to act on that last piece of the order, the American Civil Liberties Union has indicated.

Additionally, several hundred international travelers found this week that the State Department had revoked their visas, putting the kibosh on their plans to travel, despite the federal courts' orders, the Globe reports.

A lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of two University of Massachusetts professors is still pending in court, backed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, non-profit Oxfam and others was heard Friday by a federal judge, who promised to rule on the case before the hold on the ban is set to expire on Sunday.

The ACLU hailed Lufthansa's decision as a victory Thursday, and urged other airlines to follow suit:

Read more:

• Immigration Order: Massachusetts Files Challenge to Trump Executive Action
• Harvard President on Immigrant, Refugee Order: 'We Are All Harvard'
• Governor Baker: Federal Courts Should 'Straighten Out' Trump's Immigrant, Refugee Order
• Immigration Order: Protesters Flood Logan Terminal As Several Passengers Reportedly Detained [VIDEO]

Photo by Wilfried Fischer-Ortner, Flickr/Creative Commons