Another Travel Ban, Another Lawsuit

The American Civil Liberties Union announced October 3rd they have filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban that was announced at the end of September 2017. The latest ban is different from the previous two versions because it is an indefinite ban and focuses on countries the Trump administration has identified as lacking good information sharing with the United States about its immigrants. The countries named in the travel ban are; Syria, North Korea, Yemen, Chad, Lidbya, Somalia, Iran and Venezuela. In a recent blog post, the ACLU says the latest travel ban is just as illegal as the others because it targets a majority of Muslim countries. “The inclusion of two countries that are not Muslim majority doesn’t even qualify as a fig leaf. North Korea accounted for just 61 affected visas last year — out of more than 75 million visitors to the United States,” attorneys for the ACLU wrote in their blog. The post added that many of the people coming to the United States are doing so to join family members like spouses, children and parents who are American citizens or green card holders. “The new ban, like the old ones, is illegal. The March version of the ban is unconstitutional because, as the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recognized, the ban violates the Establishment Clause by disfavoring a specific religion,” the ACLU wrote. Trump has argued since before his inauguration that a travel ban is necessary to maintain national security.