Washington AG exploring potential challenge to new federal travel restrictions

Washington is “taking a careful look” at where it has standing to challenge President Donald Trump’s recent proclamation restricting travel from 12 countries, Attorney General Nick Brown said during a news conference Tuesday.

“The president says his travel ban is about national security, but this racist order will not make anyone safer,” Brown said.

The restrictions, Brown said, have stalled medical care, “struck fear” into Afghan refugees who previously aided the United States military and could hinder international students looking to study at American universities.

“We are actively looking at ways to challenge this ban, but it will be difficult,” Brown said, adding that the Supreme Court has upheld other travel bans in recent years.

Trump last Wednesday announced that citizens from 12 countries – Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – would be barred from entering the United States. The president also partially banned citizens from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

In a video posted on social media, Trump said the “strength of the restrictions we’re applying depends on the threat posed” and said countries could be added or removed from the list.

“But we will not allow people who enter our country who wish to do us harm,” Trump said. “And nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.”

The restrictions continue a trend by Trump, who issued several bans on international travel during his first administration.

The first, which barred travel from seven majority-Muslim countries, faced swift backlash and was challenged within days by then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

“I’ll always be proud that Washington state was indeed the first state to take on that first travel ban, the first state to take on Donald Trump, and the first state to defeat Donald Trump in court,” Ferguson said.

“It is a little difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that we are back here again on another travel ban.”

Ferguson said that Washington will lead other states on standing up against Trump’s orders.

“And I want all Washingtonians to know that,” Ferguson said. “We have a new attorney general, but guess what? The good news is he is as deeply connected to this issue, and as resolved to stand up against it, as we were eight years ago.”

Among those feeling the impact of the travel ban is Katia Jasmin, founder and executive director of Creole Resources in Spokane. During an interview Tuesday, Jasmin said the inclusion of Haiti caught her by surprise.

Jasmin said the ban could have wide-ranging effects on Spokane’s Haitian community, including deepening the existing trauma that many have experienced.

Jasmin said the ban could also result in family separation, as many permanent residents or citizens still have family abroad – something she knows firsthand.

“I have my brother that lives in Haiti, and he comes to see us, and now he won’t be able to come and see us,” Jasmin said.

Katia’s brother, Jay, was set to serve as the best man in an upcoming wedding – plans that seem to be in doubt.

“My brother won’t be able to see us, so I don’t know how long we’ll have to wait to be able to see him,” Jasmin said.

The restrictions, Jasmin said, will ultimately have minimal impact on safety.

“If you people are scared of gang members coming to the States, I don’t know how we are scared of the gang members; they don’t have visas, they don’t have anything. I don’t think a gang member from Haiti will come here to the United States to do anything,” Jasmin said. “So whatever they try to say that it’s for, the security or stuff, it’s not true.”