Trump Fires US Attorney General Sally Yates Over Immigration Ban

US President Donald Trump has fired Acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, after she refused to defend his immigration ban.

According to the White House’s press release, Yates "betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States".

Yates, who is a holdover from the Obama administration, had said that she was not convinced if the order was lawful. “I am not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent with these responsibilities, nor am I convinced that the Executive Order is lawful,” she said. "For as long as I am the Acting Attorney General, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of the Executive Order, unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so," she wrote in a memo.

The White House's press release also mentions that Yates was weak on borders and ‘very weak’ on illegal immigration. 

Stephen Miller, a White House adviser who helped write the Trump administration order, said on MSNBC that Yates’s statement was “a further demonstration of how politicized our legal system has become.

She will be replaced by Dana Boente, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

As expected, reactions to the move were strong. Trump's immigration move has already sparked protests across the United States and has even prompted world leaders to come out and speak against the ban.

Here are some reactions on Twitter:

Sally Yates was fired (as if this was The Apprentice) for doing her job: upholding her oath to defend the constitution. #checksandbalances

— Janet Mock (@janetmock) January 31, 2017

From Hillary to @SenWarren to the women's marchers to #AnnDonnelly and #SallyYates, WOMEN are leading the charge to defend American values.

— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) January 31, 2017

In case there's anyone out there applying for #AttorneyGeneral, #SallyYates just showed how the job is supposed to be done.

— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) January 31, 2017

We stand with Sally Yates, a true American hero. #ThankYouSally #RESIST pic.twitter.com/fSxUYkZGMD

— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 31, 2017

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