Classaction suit against ban

LOS ANGELES: The Trump Administration is violating the rights of some nationals from seven Muslimmajority countries targeted in a travel ban by barring their reentry into the United States, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a proposedclass action lawsuit filed yesterday.

The lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in federal court in the Northern District of California are student visa holders, including one Yemeni national who left the United States and is unable to come back, according to the court documents.

The lawsuit is a proposed classaction brought on behalf of nationals of the people who are living in the United States or who have lived in the country and are originally from the Muslimmajority nations named in President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning entry from those countries.

The plaintiffs and the members of the class ‘‘fear that, in the event they attempt to enter or reenter the United States, they will be denied permission to do so,’’ the lawsuit, brought by the ACLU, said.

A representative for the Department of Justice could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions challenging the executive order. Federal judges in several states have placed limits on the executive order, which Trump issued last Friday.

The suit says the executive order is an attempt by Trump and his aides to fulfil a campaign promise to ban Muslims from entering the United States.

‘‘Senior advisers to defendant Trump have engaged in antiMuslim rhetoric that provide additional support for the notion that the Executive Order was prompted by animus toward Islam and Muslims,’’ the suit said.

The lawsuit accuses Trump and his Administration of violating the free speech, religious freedom and due process rights of the some nationals from the seven Muslimmajority countries through the executive order. — Reuters