Federal appeals courts in Washington and Virginia are scheduled to hear challenges to the legality of President Donald Trump’s latest version of the travel ban which prevents citizens of eight countries, most of whom are Muslim, from traveling to the United States.
Challengers, among which immigrant advocacy organizations, argue the ban is discriminatory against Muslims and in violation of the Constitution. The Trump administration, on the other hand, claims it is vital in protecting the national security of the U.S.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hold a hearing in Seattle on December 6, while the Richmond 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing is scheduled for December 8.
Trump’s first ban, issued in January, temporarily banned all refugees and visitors from seven countries and caused chaos at airports. It was eventually replaced with a second narrower version which expired in September. The third and last version of the ban indefinitely bars travel from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, North Korea, as well as certain Venezuelan government officials.
The administration said the restrictions were enforced after a worldwide review of each country’s ability to issue reliable passports and share data with the U.S., Reuters reports. The refugees who were affected by the first ban were not included in the latest version, but face additional security screening under a separate directive issued in late October.
The government says the president has broad authority to decide who can come into the country, but detractors claim the expanded ban is in violation with a law forbidding the government from discriminating based on nationality when issuing immigrant visas. The Trump administration argues that the ban is not discriminatory, pointing out that it does not affect a large number of other Muslim countries.
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