Hawaii is set to file a lawsuit against Donald Trump and his administration after the president signed a new travel ban that was put into law through executive order. The court documents that were obtained on Tuesday indicate that Hawaii will seek a temporary restraining order to put a stop to the implementation of Trump’s revised immigration law.
Filed on Wednesday, Hawaii’s lawsuit highlights the administration’s fight in controlling the borders, as reported by CNN. Trump issued the new travel ban on Monday; this time, the executive order does not single out as many individuals as the previous one.
The new travel ban has been narrowly designed in such a way that the 90-day ban on traveling to the United States is retained for citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, but excluding Iraq. The only citizens of Iraq that will be banned from the country are those applying for a new visa. Furthermore, the new travel ban has gotten rid of the indefinite ban on refugees coming from Syria.
The previous ban restricted citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq and Syria, from traveling to and entering the U.S. The latest executive order is expected to be fully implemented on March 16, although Hawaii's lawsuit seeks to prevent the travel ban’s implementation before it begins.
In February, Hawaii already filed a lawsuit in federal court that sought to challenge the first travel ban. Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin issued an official statement, saying that their state challenged Trump to acknowledge the fact that the president should not rise above the law.
“The executive order that President Trump issued last Friday keeps Hawaii families apart, it blocks Hawaii residents from traveling, it harms Hawaii’s tourism industry, it establishes a religion in Hawaii in violation of the Constitution, it blocks Hawaii businesses and universities from hiring as they see fit,” Chin explained. All in all, he believed the travel ban puts Hawaii into shame by damaging the values that the state has worked to protect.
The new lawsuit filed by Hawaii could bring on adverse consequences for Trump's immigration policy. According to Reuters, the last time he issued the anti-Muslim travel ban, the executive order was widely criticized with numerous protests erupting at America's airports.
