AUSTIN – Thirteen state attorneys general have formed a coalition supporting President Donald Trump’s revised executive order on immigration as it enters federal appeals court to reverse decisions made in Maryland and San Francisco.
The coalition, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is comprised of attorneys general from the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. The coalition has released an amicus brief on March 27 showing its support and detailing its arguments in favor of Trump's policies.
In the 36-page amicus brief, the coalition argued the revised order is not in violation under the Constitution because the rights of the United States Constitution do not extend to persons outside of the country that are from foreign territories and are attempting to immigrate to the US. They disputed the labeling of the order as a Muslim ban, stating it is not a “pretext for religious discrimination,” claiming the ban is based around nationality, not religious affiliation.
The coalition also expressed its disdain of federal courts blocking the orders essentially stating such actions undercuts Trump’s constitutional authority to make executive decisions.
The controversial policies have been mired by both the public and the judicial system since their enactment. After the First Executive Order was set into motion, it sparked demonstrations worldwide of people decrying its implementation. US District Judge James Robart from Seattle issued a nationwide restraining order against it. Afterward, a three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the ruling blocking it, leaving Trump to revise the executive order in an attempt to address the courts’ concerns.
Despite the revisions, the same growing concerns still exist and are seemingly insurmountable triggering further setbacks by federal courts. On March 29, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson presiding in Hawaii has extended the pre-existing restraining order indefinitely, barring the newly revised order until the matter has been sorted out in court.