The ACLU added some heft to two lawsuits the legal group filed against Donald Trump's racist Muslim ban. The attorneys general of both Massachusetts and New York announced separately Tuesday that they would each join an ACLU legal challenge on behalf of their constituents. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey concluded that Trump’s ban discriminates against people on the basis of their religion:
"By filing today, we're fighting for the principles that have made America a beacon of hope and freedom for the world," Healey said.
Healey is joining a suit that was filed over the weekend by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts on behalf of two University of Massachusetts Dartmouth professors from Iran. The professors were detained at Boston's Logan Airport on Saturday even though they are lawful permanent residents of the United States.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman joined a challenge on behalf of two Iraqi refugees who were detained by Customs and Border Patrol agents at JFK International Airport.
“I will continue to do everything in my power to not just fight this executive order, but to protect the families caught in the chaos sown by President Trump's hasty and irresponsible implementation – including pressing [the Department of Homeland Security] and [U.S. Customs and Border Patrol] to provide a full list of those still detained and allow them access to legal service providers,” he said in a statement.