Lawsuits filed as protests erupt
16 states look to block president’s national emergency declaration
“There is zero real-world basis for the emergency declaration, and there will be no wall.” Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico governor
NEW YORK — Protesters around the U.S. spent Presidents Day rallying against President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration as 16 states filed a federal lawsuit to block Trump’s latest ploy to fund his long-promised border wall.
“Trump is the national emergency!” chanted a group of hundreds lined up Monday at the White House fence while Trump was out of town in Florida. Some held up large letters spelling out “stop power grab.” In downtown Fort Worth, Texas, a small group carried signs with messages including “no wall! #FakeTrumpEmergency.”
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, a San Francisco-based court whose judges have ruled against an array of other Trump administration policies, including on immigration and the environment.
In addition to California, the states participating in the suit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia. With the exception of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, the governors of the states are Democrats.
A crowd of more than 100 protesters gathered in frigid weather at the state Capitol in Denver roared with approval when
Weiser told them his office was joining the multistate lawsuit.
“There is zero realworld basis for the emergency declaration, and there will be no wall,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Organized by the liberal group MoveOn and others, Monday’s demonstrations took the occasion of the Presidents Day holiday to assail Trump’s proclamation as undemocratic and anti-immigrant.
Kelly Quirk, of the progressive group Soma Action, told a gathering of dozens in Newark, New Jersey that “democracy demands” saying “no more” to Trump.
“There are plenty of real emergencies to invest our tax dollars in,” said Quirk.
In New York City, hundreds of people at a Manhattan park chanted “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” as several of them held up letters spelling out, “IMPEACH.”
At one point during the rally in Washington, a counter-protester walked through the crowd toting a sign saying “finish the wall” on one side and “protect the poor” on the other. Another man snatched his sign from him, sparking a short scuffle.
Trump’s declaration Friday shifts billions of dollars from military construction to the border. The move came after Congress didn’t approve as much as Trump wanted for the wall, which the Republican considers a national security necessity.
His emergency proclamation calls the border “a major entry point for criminals, gang members, and illicit narcotics.”
Illegal border crossings have declined from a high of 1.6 million in 2000. But lately, thousands of families seeking to enter each are straining the U.S. asylum system and border facilities.
Trump’s critics have argued he undercut his rationale for the emergency declaration by saying he “didn’t need to do this” but wanted to get the wall built faster than he otherwise could.