More states unite against ban
Washington, Minnesota, New York, Oregon vow to block Trump order
President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban faced mounting new legal challenges on Thursday as the state of Washington, along with several other states, vowed to block the executive order.
The announcement came a day after Hawaii filed the first suit challenging the controversial new directive, which temporarily closes US borders to all refugees and citizens from six mainly-Muslim countries.
Washington’s attorney general Bob Ferguson, whose state was the first to sue over Mr Trump’s initial travel ban that created airport chaos worldwide and was eventually blocked, said at least three other states — Minnesota, New York and Oregon — are expected to join in the new legal battle.
He said his motion calls on the court to apply an existing injunction against the first ban issued in January to the new order unveiled on Monday.
“My message to President Trump is — not so fast,” Mr Ferguson told reporters. “After spending more than a month to fix a broken order that he rushed out the door, the president’s new order reinstates several of the same provisions and has the same illegal motivations as the original,” he said.
“Consequently, we are asking Judge (James) Robart to confirm that the injunction he issued remains in full force and effect as to the reinstated provisions.”
Mr Ferguson said although the revised order was narrower in scope, it still could be challenged on constitutional grounds.
The new order denies US entry to all refugees for 120 days and halts for 90 days the granting of visas to nationals from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. It is due to take effect on March 16.
Hawaii Tuesday filed the first lawsuit, saying the ban remained unconstitutional despite the changes.
“This second executive order is infected with the same legal problems as the first order — undermining bedrock constitutional and statutory guarantees,” said the suit, which was filed Wednesday in a federal court in Honolulu. — AFP