DOJ to defend Trump’s executive order on immigration

The showdown over President Trump’s executive order on immigration continues. District Senior Judge James Robart of Seattle has issued “a nationwide restraining order” to block Trump’s order, which restricts immigration from seven Muslim countries – countries selected by the Obama administration — suspends refugee admission for 120 days, and ban Syrian refugees indefinitely.

Lee Gelernt, the lawyer who successfully argued for a restraining order against Trump’s so-called “ban” in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, stated:

The courts have and will continue to recognize that this executive order favors Christians and disfavors Muslims and that is antithetical to American values and flatly inconsistent with the United States Constitution.

This erroneous comparison between Christians and Muslims aims to stir up division and once again reveals the myopia of leftists and the the anti-Trump camp. The reason for the Trump immigration policy is solely national security. How many Christians have been infiltrating the refugee stream for the purpose of murdering Westerners? How many Christians have been raping and sexually assaulting non-Christian Western women and girls all across Europe? How many Christian migrants have been committing crimes and wreaking havoc to the tune of the 46 billion dollars that German and European taxpayers now have to fork over to fix?

There is no discriminatory intent about the Trump order. At worst, it can be described as a drastic measure in a crisis. This obvious point was addressed by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who said in a statement:

The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.

“White House: DOJ plans to defend Trump’s immigration ban”, by Melanie Eversley, USA Today, February 3, 2017:

U.S. District Senior Judge James Robart of Seattle on Friday issued a nationwide restraining order blocking the travel ban put in place by President Trump last week.

Trump’s ban, created through an executive order, sought to block people from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States.

In issuing his decision, Robart was siding with Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who filed a suit to block key provisions of the president’s executive order, which also bars Syrian refugees from entering the country.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer released a statement Friday night saying the Department of Justice would seek an emergency stay of this “outrageous order.”

“The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people,” Spicer said in the statement.

Statement by the Press Secretary:
At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file an emergency stay of this order and defend the executive order of the President, which we believe is lawful and appropriate. The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.

As the law states, “Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, hailed Ferguson and applauded the decision.

“We should feel heartened by today’s victory and more resolute than ever that we are fighting on the right side of history,” the governor said in a statement. “Thank you to (Attorney General Bob Ferguson) and his team for making the case that no person – not even the president – is above the law.”

Amnesty International also applauded the development.

“This decision is a short-term relief for thousands of people whose lives have been upended, but Congress must step in and block this unlawful ban for good,” organization spokesman Eric Ferrero said in a statement. “Trump’s Muslim ban is in humane, unlawful, and discriminatory, which is why the courts and the public want it to be stopped.”

Ferguson said his team has been working around-the-clock for the last week on reversing the executive order.

“It’s obviously an historic decision and an important one for the rule of law and for the people of the state of Washington and the people of our country. I have said from the beginning: it is not the loudest voice that prevails in the courtroom, it is the Constitution, and that’s what we heard from Judge Robart today.”

The decision is effective immediately nationwide, Ferguson said.

A lawyer with the national office of the American Civil Liberties Union said the decision was significant.

“The decision in Washington reaffirms that the courts will stand up to the president,” said Lee Gelernt, the lawyer who successfully argued for a restraining order against Trump’s ban in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“The courts have and will continue to recognize that this executive order favors Christians and disfavors Muslims and that is antithetical to American values and flatly inconsistent with the United States Constitution.”….