California joins multi-state lawsuit against revised immigration order News
California joins multi-state lawsuit against revised immigration order

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra [official profile] announced [press release] Monday that his state would be joining Washington and Minnesota in their lawsuit [complaint, PDF] against President Donald Trump’s revised executive order [JURIST report] banning citizens from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. In an announcement [press release] Monday, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said California is the latest state to join in opposition to the order, with Maryland, Massachusetts and New York also seeking permission to join the lawsuit. According to the press release, those requests are still pending. Echoing Ferguson’s statement that “[c]utting some illegal aspects of President Trump’s original travel ban does not cure his affront to our Constitution,” Becerra said California is joining the lawsuit because he feels the “intent and effect” of the order are still unconstitutional, despite the changed text. Becerra said:

Last month, our courts put a lid on the unconstitutional and un-American Trump Muslim travel ban because Americans stood up and demanded it. The victory for lawful permanent residents and current visa holders was welcome news for everyone, especially the victims’ families. But the fight for fair and lawful treatment of all who would seek permission to enter our country is not over.

Washington filed the first lawsuit against the immigration order on January 30.

Last week a judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin [official website] granted a temporary restraining order [JURIST report] against Trump’s revised immigration ban to a Syrian asylum seeker and his family. The order is limited to the one man and his family and will remain in effect only until the asylum request for his wife and child can be resolved. JURIST Guest Columnist Ali Khan of Washburn University School of Law discussed the effects of the original travel ban on the increased harassment [JURIST op-ed] at US airports by US Customs and Border Protection officials. In February JURIST Guest Columnist Victor Williams discussed how the travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration have tested the separation of powers [JURIST op-ed] between the executive and judicial branches of government.

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