SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ California joined five other states Thursday in filing a court action seeking to block the Trump administration's new restrictions on travelers from a handful of countries, arguing it is unconstitutionally motivated by anti-Muslim animus.
State Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the new restrictions, which take effect Oct. 18, contain the same flaws as those previously challenged by states in the courts.
The restrictions affect visitors from North Korea and Venezuela and from countries with large Muslim populations: Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Chad and Somalia.
"The courts have previously rebuffed different versions of this blatantly discriminatory anti-Muslim travel ban," Becerra said. "Yet, the Trump administration continues to play games with the lives of thousands of people who work and attend college here, play by the rules, and have helped our state become the sixth-largest economy in the world."
An amended complaint filed Thursday by California, Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon also alleges that the travel restrictions cause significant hardship to the states and their economies.
