Madigan joins 15 attorneys general in fight against Trump immigration order

On Monday, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, supporting a lawsuit that challenges President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration.

A release from Madigan’s office stated she filed the brief with attorneys general from 15 other states, the District of Columbia, and in State of Washington and State of Minnesota v. Donald Trump.

“Our country was built by immigrants and refugees who came here in search of a better life,” Madigan said in the release. “Illinois is home to nearly 2 million immigrants who contribute to our state in invaluable ways. I will fight to ensure Illinois remains a safe and welcome home for immigrants and refugees.”

The group of attorneys general urged the Appellate Court continue the temporary restraining order that blocks key parts of Trump’s order. The release stated attorneys are worried about the damage the order will cause individual states.

“The brief states that the executive orders barring entry into the United States of individuals who are nationals from seven majority-Muslim countries, including people who hold valid U.S. visas for work, study and travel ‘hinders the free exchange of information, ideas, and talent between the affected countries and the states, including at the states’ many educational institutions; harms the states’ life sciences, technology, health care, finance and other industries, as well as innumerable small businesses throughout the states; and will inflict economic harm on the states themselves,’” the release stated.

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has denied the Trump administration’s request for an immediate suspension of a district court’s temporary restraining order, which blocks key portions of the executive order.

Madigan quoted several attorneys general in the release from Virginia, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon, New York, New Mexico, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and Maryland.

Madigan has also sent a letter to Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to fight the executive order.

“State Attorneys General are on the front lines of protecting our people from dangerous and hastily-implemented federal policy. I’ve been clear: President Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional, unlawful, and fundamentally un-American — and we won’t stand by while it undermines our states’ families, economies and institutions,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in the release. “From filing our own federal lawsuit last week, to partnering with fellow attorneys general on this amicus brief ... we will use every tool at our disposal to fight President Trump’s discriminatory order and help ensure the rule of law prevails.”