Michigan groups to continue legal fight against revised Trump travel ban
By Lauren Gibbons
MLive
The ACLU of Michigan and the Arab-American Civil Rights League announced they would continue a lawsuit challenging a temporary travel ban from Muslim-majority nations following a revised executive order signed by President Donald Trump Monday.
The revised order, which will temporarily stop entry into the U.S. for people seeking new visas from six Muslim-majority nations, was the administration’s response to a federal court order blocking the first iteration of the travel ban initiated in January.
Significant changes from the first executive order in the new version include dropping Iraq from the list of countries impacted and specifying permanent residents and those with current valid visas are excluded from the ban. The new order also indicates the ban on Syrian refugees would be in place for 120 days instead of indefinitely.
Read the full text of the executive order here.
The Dearborn-based Arab-American Civil Rights League filed a lawsuit following Trump’s rollout of the original executive order, and was later joined by the ACLU of Michigan. The organizations plan to file an amended complaint within the next 10 days to coincide with the effective date of the revised executive order.
Arab American Civil Rights League Director Rula Aoun said the order “is still an illegal and discriminatory attempt to ban Muslims.”
“In America, we don’t target and prohibit people because of how they pray–and we don’t impose religious litmus tests on immigrants,” Aoun said.
The original executive order signed by Trump sparked backlash and protests nationwide, significantly at many of the nation’s largest airports. Immediately following the announcement in January, protesters gathered in Grand Rapids, Detroit and Ann Arbor to protest the ban.
Following a court order blocking the original executive order from taking effect, Trump’s administration announced its intent to regroup and craft a new order that would withstand further legal scrutiny.
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp., said the revised order is merely an attempt to repackage the same “unconstitutional and un-American” policy.
“Make no mistake – this is the same discriminatory policy that will make America less safe,” Kildee said. “Surely we can both protect the security of our country while helping refugees, many women and children, fleeing violence and terror. I will continue to oppose this terrible policy.”
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, who formerly chaired the Michigan Republican Party, praised the new executive order on Twitter, calling it “exactly the kind of action a protective President takes.”
