New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Monday formally joined a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban that was filed in Washington state, according to his office.
The lawsuit alleges the ban violates the Equal Protection, Establishment, and Procedural Due Process clauses of the U.S. Constitution, among other laws.
“As our complaint details, President Trump’s second executive order is just a Muslim ban by another name, seeking to accomplish the same unlawful and unconstitutional goals of the first ban,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s continued intent to discriminate against Muslims is clear — and it undermines New York’s families, institutions, and economy.”
California, Maryland, Massachusetts and Oregon are also involved in the suit, according to Schneiderman’s office.
A federal judge is expected to hold a hearing this week to decide if the national stay, issued Feb. 3, applies to the revised ban.
Washington state also filed a new complaint on Monday, asking a judge to stop the executive order from going into effect on Thursday.
It was the latest legal move in a series of court challenges to the new travel order that temporarily blocks refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
Schneiderman said the latest travel ban hurts several New York industries, including tourism, and undermines colleges and universities’ ability to recruit top international students.
Last month, NYC & Company, the city’s tourism marketing group, said 300,000 fewer foreign visitors are expected to come to the city this year, compared with last year.
-With Reuters
