Amazon and Expedia back Washington state’s lawsuit against Trump’s travel ban
The state of Washington is set to take Trump to federal court with the help of technology companies Amazon and Expedia to challenge the US President's executive order to ban travel from certain countries.
Attorney general Bob Ferguson today said he was filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, the US Department of Homeland Security and high-ranking Trump administration officials. His complaint asks the court to declare key provisions of Trump's travel ban unconstitutional.
In a statement today, Ferguson said Trump's ban on travel from seven majority-Muslim countries 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.”
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Trump's executive order placed a 90-day restriction on arrivals from Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.
“No one is above the law — not even the President,” Ferguson said. “And in the courtroom, it is not the loudest voice that prevails. It’s the constitution.”
Washington state institutions Amazon and Expedia supported the lawsuit through declarations filed alongside the complaint. In their declarations, the companies described how the executive order would impact their operations and their employees.
Ferguson said the travel ban violates the US constitution’s guarantee of equal protection and the first amendment’s establishment clause, infringes individuals’ constitutional right to due process and contravenes the federal immigration and nationality act.
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