Rights groups in court again over Trump travel ban

WASHINGTON: Rights groups seeking the suspension of President Donald Trump's latest version of a controversial travel ban took their case before a federal judge on Monday.
Continuing a long-running legal battle, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others sought an injunction against the ban they argue discriminates against Muslims.
"We need a strong ruling on the merits that says discrimination against Muslims is un-American," argued the ACLU of Maryland, the state neighbouring Washington where the hearing took place.
In defense of Trump's ban, Department of Justice attorneys cited national security and said immigration matters fall largely under presidential authority.
Trump issued a new executive order last month to replace an expiring 90-day temporary ban on travelers from the Muslim-majority nations of Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Somalia and Libya.
After a series of court challenges and appeals to that order, his September decree removed Sudan but added Chad and North Korea.
Citizens of those countries are forbidden from entering the US for national security reasons.
It also banned Venezuelan officials from certain key ministries and government agencies, along with their families.
ACLU executive director Anthony Romero has said the new ban "is still a Muslim ban at its core".
US District Judge Theodore Chuang, who heard Monday's arguments, suspended a previous version of the executive decree on March 16, taking into account Trump's history of anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Chuang did not say when he would render his decision but is expected to issue it quickly.
Lawyers say a fresh suspension of the order could be more difficult to obtain, as Muslims appear less directly targeted due to the inclusion of North Korea and Venezuela.
The restrictions laid out in the new decree are set to go into effect in full on Wednesday. — AFP