SAN FRANCISCO _ Immigrants rights groups are asking a federal judge to block President Donald Trump's revised policy temporarily barring immigrants and refugees from six mostly Muslim countries, claiming it's really an indefinite travel ban.
The groups' court filing Friday adds to challenges to the revised travel ban already brought by states including Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, New York and Hawaii. Opponents seek to block Trump's new executive order from taking effect March 16.
The groups led by the American Immigration Council claim the 90-day restrictions amount to a permanent ban because of the extraordinary standards set by Trump's executive order for restoring access to visas for applicants from those countries. The new travel ban, like the one it replaces, still illegally singles out Muslims for unequal treatment, according to the revised complaint in Seattle federal court.
The litigation is the first suit filed exclusively on behalf of a class of individuals directly affected by Trump's latest order, which is alleged to be an extension of his demand for a Muslim ban or registry dating back to his presidential campaign. The Trump administration contends the new order eliminates portions of the first that led judges to block it and is needed to prevent terrorists from entering the country.
Attorneys for the immigration council spent the week sifting through the president's personal and official Twitter accounts to back their allegations of discriminatory intent, said Melissa Crow, legal director at the group.
"We see this second executive order as a more legalistic version of the original that essentially does the same thing," Crow said. "It's a whole new world where you cite tweets in claims."
Cases are beginning to pile-up in response to the new travel ban crafted to stand-up against the constitutional challenges that defeated its predecessor in federal court. Hawaii was the first to file suit on March 8 and is slated to get the first crack at knocking down the order on March 15.
