Mass. AG Joins Lawsuit Challenging Trump's Immigration Order

BOSTON (CBS) — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Tuesday morning that her office is joining local education leaders in filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration.

"Over the past three days, my office has closely reviewed the language of the order and its many impacts on our state and our people," said Healey in a noon press conference. "The executive order is harmful, discriminatory, and unconstitutional."

The Democrat said her office filed the lawsuit Saturday night.

"It discriminates on the basis of religion and national origin, denies our residents access to due process and equal protection of the law, and violates federal immigration law," Healey said of Trump's order.

The lawsuit is in response to the executive order signed by President Trump on Friday that barred immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and blocked refugees from entering the country for 120 days.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker issued a statement saying his office supports AG Healey's lawsuit.

She said her office first learned of detentions at Logan Airport on Saturday afternoon, including the holding of two UMass engineering professors who were returning from a conference abroad.

"They are training the next generation of Massachusetts engineers," she said. "But with the wave of a pen, the president's executive order kept them and thousands of others from coming home."

Healey was joined at the press conference by several local academic, business, medicine, and advocacy leaders, including UMass President Marty Meehan, who said the executive order undermined the university's mission.

"By filing this suit today, we are fighting for the principles that have made America a beacon of hope and freedom for the world," Healey said.

She said she hoped other states across the country would do the same.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports

In:
• Immigration
• Charlie Baker
• Donald Trump