On Monday, Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that Alabama would join other states in supporting President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban against foreign nationals from countries facing the greatest problems with terrorism.
Trump’s revised executive order was introduced on March 6, and bans admission into the United States for certain individuals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It was later blocked by US District Court Judge Theodore Chuang, but is set for a new hearing on May 8th with the 4th Circuit Court.
According to A.G. Marshall, it was important for the state to signal support for the president’s action.
“As president of the United States, Donald Trump has the legal authority to restrict entry into this country of any foreign national who may pose a risk to our safety and security,” Attorney General Marshall said. “It defies reason that the federal courts would seek to block the Commander in Chief from exercising his legal authority to preemptively safeguard Americans’ security.”
Alabama was one of 13 states that filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals over their support of the measure. It argues that those who oppose the Trump administration’s executive order are seeking to apply constitutional rights to non-citizens who are not even in this country.
“Their (plaintiffs’) theory calls for an extraordinary extension of constitutional rights to nonresident aliens who are outside this country and attempting to enter the country,” the brief states. “Nonresident aliens who are in foreign territory clearly not under the sovereign control of the United States do not possess rights under the United States Constitution regarding entry into this county.”
Other states supporting Trump’s travel ban include Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.
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