The Delaware Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit over President Trump’s executive order that has been dubbed a “Muslim Ban.”
The administration has disputed the term. The orginal executive order was modified after being tied up in court. The second order has also ended up in court.
“Today’s action is part of a total of 13 FOIA lawsuits filed by ACLU affiliates across the country. The ACLU of Delaware lawsuit is seeking records from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Baltimore, Maryland office,” a release stated. “In particular, the lawsuit seeks records related to CBP’s implementation of President Trump’s Muslim bans at Washington-Dulles International Airport, Baltimore Washington International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Pittsburgh International Airport as well as the sea ports of entry in Washington-Dulles, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Wilmington, Delaware.”
The ACLU first sought this information through FOIA requests submitted to CBP on February 2. Since the government has failed to substantively respond, the ACLU is now suing, the release stated.
“The Muslim travel ban generated fear and confusion here in Delaware, as well as massive public outcry in support of Muslims, refugees and other immigrants,” stated Kathleen MacRae, Executive Director of the ACLU of Delaware. “It is vital that the federal government provide us with detailed information about how officials are implementing the ban. Only transparency will ensure that constitutional standards are met.”
Each lawsuit seeks unique and local information regarding how Customs and Border Protection implemented the executive orders at specific airports and ports of entry in the midst of rapidly developing and sometimes conflicting government guidance.
The local FOIA lawsuit can be found here.
