via Bloomberg
To those who opposed Trump’s travel ban, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s decision to deny Trump’s appeal on February 7th came as a victory. The ban or executive order that Trump issued essentially did three things. First, it prohibited non-citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen from entering the United States for a 90-day-period. Second, it suspended the processing of Syrian refugees indefinitely. And third, it halted all refugee processing for a period of four months. The ban understandably sparked intense outrage and protests erupted in airports across the country.
Washington State led the legal fight against the ban and was the first state to sue Trump for issuing the executive order. Under the direction of Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (a University of Washington alum), the state filed a complaint arguing that the order was unlawful and unconstitutional. The complaint heavily focused on ways in which the travel ban would harm state interests. A large component to this state harm actually involved state universities, and the University of Washington was cited specifically. The complaint argued that the ban harmed students and faculty members who are nationals of the seven countries: “These students and faculty cannot travel for research, academic collaboration, or for personal reasons, and their families abroad cannot visit”. It is estimated that between UW, WSU, and the Washington state community colleges, there are currently about 400 students from the seven banned countries.
Also included in the complaint was the violation of due process because people were not given a chance to respond to the new law. The necessity of the ban was also questioned because there was a lack of pressing evidence that demonstrated the immediate need for the ban. Judge Robart who presides in Seattle heard the lawsuit and decided to put a freeze on Trump’s travel ban. When Trump appealed this decision, the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court denied the appeal. Trump has claimed that he will issue a new order and will continue to work towards limiting immigration in the name of national security, but for now Trump has been denied.