Councilmember Kshama Sawant, WA leaders react to revised travel ban

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant was quick to respond to the revised travel ban President Donald Trump signed Monday morning.

Trump’s new directive aims to address legal issues with the original order, which caused confusion at airports, sparked protests around the country and was ultimately blocked by federal courts. The revised order is narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.

About seven minutes after the White House finished its press conference announcing the ban, Sawant responded via Twitter.

Trump’s last #MuslimBan was defeated w/ peaceful civil disobedience & shutdown of airports; we can beat the new ban too! #NoBanNoWallNoRaids

— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) March 6, 2017

Sawant has been a leading voice in the anti-Trump movement and has called for protests since he took Office. Sawant and her supporters protested at Sea-Tac Airport following the original ban, which was ultimately struck down by a Seattle federal court. She also pushed for a protest as part of the national “Day Without a Woman” strike on March 8 that’s being organized by the same people behind the women’s march in January. She is also calling for supporters to turn out on May Day.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who won the initial travel-ban fight with Trump, released the following statement about an hour after Monday’s announcement saying he and his team are “carefully reviewing” the new order to “determine its impacts on Washington state and our next legal steps.” He spoke at length during a press conference Monday.

By rescinding his earlier Executive Order, President Trump makes one thing perfectly clear: His original travel ban was indefensible — legally, constitutionally and morally. The President has capitulated on numerous key provisions blocked by our lawsuit, including bans on Green Card holders, visa holders and dual citizens, an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, and explicit preferences based on religion. We are carefully reviewing the new Executive Order to determine its impacts on Washington state and our next legal steps. I will have further comment later today.

Washington Congressman Adam Smith

President Trump’s latest executive order on refugees and visa restrictions is reckless and runs contrary to America’s founding principles. The President’s second attempt at a travel ban — after his previous order was found to be unconstitutional by two courts—shows a continued disregard for American values and a remarkable willingness to threaten our national security.

Our existing standards for those seeking refuge already require extremely thorough vetting of all refugees. Banning all refugees and specifically targeting Muslims goes against our values and strengthens extremist groups like ISIS by making America appear anti-Muslim. This malicious executive order will help recruit more terrorists and encourage extremists to attack America, damaging our relationships around the world and making America less safe.

King County Executive Dow Constantine said more than 75 local elected officials have signed our pledge affirming King County is a welcoming community, and later this month we will convene regional leaders to coordinate local responses and provide legal analysis on federal immigration policies.

The new Executive Order on immigration announced today may have different words, but the spirit is the same: to exclude people based on their religion and country of origin. Such a policy betrays the fundamental principle that has guided our nation since its inception and been central to our success: that we welcome people who come here fleeing tyranny, fleeing oppression, seeking a better life.

At King County, we are taking a much different path. We are a welcoming community, and I thank Council Chair McDermott and the rest of the King County Council for their fast action on my plan to provide rapid services to help people navigate the naturalization process, as well as supporting community organizations on the frontlines of immigrant rights and education.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee told KNKX:

“This new order maintains the president’s mean-spirited approach. It is in keeping with his express intention to have a Muslim ban and it still concerns our ability of our state to hew to our values.”

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