Mayor Murray: Seattle will join national legal fight against Trump’s Muslim ban

 

Today, Mayor Ed Murray and City Attorney Pete Holmes directed the City of Seattle to join an amicus brief in Darweesh v. Trump, seeking an injunction against President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban. Seattle joins several cities from across the country on this brief, noting the ban’s impact on safety, the economy and security. Mayor Murray released the following statement:

“The stories of immigrant and refugee families are the stories of all our families, whether we arrived here last year or last century. President Trump’s Executive Order threatens to rip families apart, and the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent weeks have suggested the Trump Administration will continue targeting families in our communities. Removing people from their homes and instilling fear does not help our security, and it hurts our economy. It is a show of hostility toward all of us – these are our friends, co-workers, neighbors and family.

“We are taking the legal action necessary to stop this and future Executive Orders that aim to target any person based on their religion and we will remain a welcoming city that stands with everyone in our community.”

Darweesh v. Trump challenges the President’s Muslim ban on the grounds it violates due process of valid visa holders and imposes a de facto religious test on immigrants. Cities from across the country have joined the case by filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York. The case stems from the detainment and threatened deportation of Hameed Darweesh, an Iraqi national with a valid travel visa, after he arrived in the United States following Trump’s order banning foreigners from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the country.