Third version of Trump's travel ban is targeted in 2 new lawsuits
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Two new lawsuits filed on Monday target President Donald Trump’s latest version of the travel ban that restricts travel to the United States from eight countries, including six predominantly Muslim nations.
The plaintiffs in one suit, filed in Maryland federal court, are the Iranian Alliance Across Borders and six individuals, report Courthouse News Service, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and Reuters. Two of the individuals are seeking visas for Iranian men they love, according to Bloomberg.
Iran is one of eight countries on the latest list; the others are Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Chad, North Korea and Venezuela, although the travel ban for the South American country only applies to some government officials and their families. The travel restrictions vary based on the country.
The suit alleges that adding two countries without Muslim-majority populations to the list is “an effort to disguise” Muslim targeting that violates the First Amendment and federal immigration law.
The other suit, filed in Manhattan federal court on behalf of the Brennan Center for Justice, seeks compliance with a Freedom of Information Act request for documents used to justify the selection of countries in the travel ban. A press release is here.
Lawyers at Covington & Burling are representing the plaintiffs in both suits.
The American Civil Liberties Union said last week that it plans to amend an existing lawsuit to challenge the third version of the travel ban, which is scheduled to go into effect on Oct. 18.
