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Hawaii Challenges Trump’s Travel Ban |
By
Stephen Lendman |
| It’s the first state to file suit, challenging Trump’s revised travel
ban. The new version resembles the old one with a face lift. State attorneys said court filings coming Wednesday request a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order, blocking Trump’s executive order. Law Professor Neal Katyal representing Hawaii said while “the new executive order covers fewer people than the old one,” it still “suffers from the same constitutional and statutory defects.” Hawaii earlier asked a federal judge to lift the stay so it could file an amended lawsuit. In February, US District Court Judge Derrick Watson let the state file an amended suit - Muslim Association of Hawaii imam Ismail Elshikh added as co-plaintiff. His mother-in-law is a Syrian national living in the country. Trump’s travel ban prohibits her from traveling to America to visit family members. A Washington, DC law firm was hired to help pursue the case. Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin called Trump’s revised executive order “Muslim Ban 2.0.” “Under the pretense of national security, it still targets immigrants and refugees. It leaves the door open for even further restrictions,” he said. ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project director Omar Jadwat issued a statement, saying: “The Trump administration has conceded that its original Muslim ban was indefensible. Unfortunately, it has replaced it with a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws.” “The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is not to have a Muslim ban. Instead, President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination, and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people.” Other states may file legal action. New York AG Eric Schneiderman said “(w)hile the White House may have made changes to the ban, the intent to discriminate against Muslims remains clear. A previous article discussed the details of Trump’s travel ban. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |