Santa Monica Joins in Amicus Brief to Fight Trump Travel Ban

By Niki Cervantes
Staff Writer

April 3, 2018 -- The City of Santa Monica has signed an amicus brief fighting the Trump Administration’s travel ban on entry into the U.S. from eight countries, soon to go the to the U.S. Supreme Court.

With its unanimous March 27 vote, the City Council enters the fray with the major cities of Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in signing onto to the brief of support for Hawaii as it argues against Trump’s executive order imposing entry restrictions.

April 25 is the last day for oral arguments this term for the Supreme Court.

The justices will examine President Trump's third travel ban, which places restrictions of varying degrees on entry to the United States from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, North Korea and Venezuela.

Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer said the travel ban "violates the basis of what this country was founded on.”

“Our community thrives because of our diversity and President Trump’s actions do not represent our values of equity and inclusion,” Winterer said.

“As a country and as a society, we can do better. We must not accept discriminatory behavior in our schools, in our places of work, or in the White House.”

The amicus brief argues that the executive order exceeds the Trump’s authority by discriminating based on national origin, the City said in a statement.

It also argues that the order “violates the Establishment Clause based on the President’s well-documented anti-Muslim position,” the statement said.

More than 40 cities have joined in filing the brief.

Trump's first two bans, issued in January and March, were struck down by several federal courts before the Supreme Court allowed part of the second ban to take effect in late June.

The justices said in January that they would hear arguments on the ban.

The high court said it will consider whether the ban violates immigration law as well as the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

Trump's third ban blocks specific travelers from five of the original nations –- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen –- along with Chad, North Korea and Venezuela.

Iraq and Sudan were subtracted from the list in March and September, respectively.

Trump's initial ban would have halted travel from seven countries with mostly Muslim populations designated by the Obama Administration as “areas of concern” because of terrorist activity.