Seattle : Legal challenges against President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban mounted on Friday as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order.
It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state’s legal action.
Washington was the first state to sue over the original ban, which resulted in Judge James Robert in Seattle halting its implementation around the country.
Ferguson said the state would ask Robert to rule that his temporary restraining order against the first ban applies to Trump’s revised action.
Trump’s revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the US refugee programme.
Unlike the initial order, the new one says current visa holders won’t be affected, and removes language that would give priority to religious minorities.
Ferguson said it’s not the government, but the court, that gets to decide whether the revised order is different enough that it would not be covered by previous temporary restraining order.
“It cannot be a game of whack-a-mole for the court,” he said. “That TRO we’ve already obtained remains in effect.” AP
16 charged in identity theft ring Sixteen Indian-origin people, including a woman, in the US have been charged for their alleged role in a massive stolen credit card and identity theft operation resulting in losses of over $3.5 million to individuals, financial institutions and retail businesses.
Muhammad Rana, 40, of Queens in New York, was the leader of the massive fraud scheme who was helped by his deputy Inderjeet Singh (24).
In all 30 individuals have been charged as authorities cracked down on the extensive stolen credit card and identity theft ring. PTI
