LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — An appeals court weighing whether to reinstate President Donald Trump’s executive order closing US borders to refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries said it did not plan to hand down its ruling on Wednesday.

“The court will not be issuing a decision today,” said David Madden, spokesman for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, adding that an advance notice of 30 to 90 minutes would be given when a decision is imminent.

A panel of three judges held a contentious hearing in the matter on Tuesday, with the lawyer representing the Trump administration insisting the controversial ban was justified for national security reasons.

The order, which was issued with no prior warning, sparked travel chaos and was met with condemnation by immigration advocacy groups.

The ban was suspended nationwide on Friday by a federal judge in Seattle, after two US states asked it to be overturned on grounds of religious discrimination and that it had caused “irreparable injury

Trump’s decree summarily denied entry to all refugees for 120 days, and travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. Refugees from Syria were blocked indefinitely.

Top administration officials have argued it is needed to keep out Islamic State and Al-Qaeda fighters migrating from Middle East hotspots, insisting time is needed to implement stricter vetting procedures.