Ferguson Asks Federal Judge To Block Latest Travel Ban

SEATTLE, WA - State Attorney General Bob Ferguson asked the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington late Wednesday to strike down the Trump administration's third attempt at issuing a travel ban. Ferguson successfully sued the administration in January when the first travel ban was issued. A statement from Ferguson's office said that the new travel ban, by specifically targeting Muslims, remains unconstitutional and violates existing immigration policy.

The latest travel restrictions permanently bans immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Chad. Five other states - California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon - are also challenging the administration's new ban.

"The third travel ban has many of the same fatal flaws as its predecessors," Ferguson's statement said. "Yet again, it completely bars immigration by individuals from certain countries even though federal law — the Immigration and Nationality Act — prohibits discrimination based on nationality. And it does so even though this Administration’s own Department of Homeland Security concluded in an internal report that 'country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity.'"

Ferguson noted that the travel ban would apply to millions of people, many of whom have connections to Washington.

After the Trump administration's first ban was struck down by the courts, a second, narrower ban was enacted. However, that ban expired on Sept. 24. Trump issued the new ban the same day.

The Washington Post reported that Trump administration officials said the new law is the product of a lengthy process that assesses each country's security situation and intelligence relationship with the U.S.

Ferguson also recently filed suit against the Trump administration for overturning a provision in the Affordable Care Act requiring employers' insurance plans cover contraception costs. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Seattle Patch, click here to find your local Washington Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Image via Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson