Six States Sue Over New Immigration Ban

Hawaii led the charge, taking the Trump administration to court over its revised immigration executive order by filing a complaint last week in a Honolulu federal court against the policy. But Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has asked the Seattle federal court judge who heard his challenge to the initial ban, and who issued a national stay on the ban, to apply the restraining order issued against the old ban to the new one. Minnesota joined Washington in that lawsuit, and the attorneys general of New York, Oregon, and Massachusetts said they would also join the suit. Hawaii’s filing says it objects to the new travel order because it has “profound” and “detrimental” effects on the state’s economy and people, and that it discriminates against Muslims and violates the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Constitution. The revised immigration executive order removed language giving preference to religious minorities in refugee admissions, and only applies a temporary travel ban to six Muslim-majority countries, rather than the original seven. It also does not apply restrictions to dual nationalists who have U.S. citizenship, green card holders, and people who already hold valid visas.