Washington will be the first state to formally challenge President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning all entry into the United States from seven predominantly Muslim countries, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is taking the issue to federal court, announced Monday. Ferguson said he is requesting that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington declare some of the key provisions of the order unconstitutional, according to KIRO.
He also filed a motion for a restraining order to temporarily stop the implementation of the executive order.
The executive order, which restricts immigration from seven Muslim countries for 120 days, suspends Syrian refugee admissions indefinitely, halts the issuance of all visas from the countries indicated for 90 days, and caps total refugee admissions at 50,000 for 2017, has faced serious criticism worldwide since it was signed on Friday. Protests began at airports over the weekend and expanded to the streets of several major cities, including Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York City.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) told reporters at a press conference Monday that Trump's executive order affects the whole state, not just individuals.
"It is an insult and a danger to all of the people of the state of Washington, of all faiths," Inslee said. "This is un-American, it is wrong, and it will not stand."
Alongside the complaint, Washington-based organizations like Expedia and Amazon added their own declarations expressing that the executive order will negatively hurt their businesses, bringing up the argument of damages to the state's economy.
The complaint says that Trump's new policy is "separating Washington families, harming thousands of Washington residents, damaging Washington’s economy, hurting Washington-based companies, and undermining Washington’s sovereign interest in remaining a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees."
Ferguson asked the court to schedule a hearing within 14 days.
Sara Gonzales
BlazeTV Host
