Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Tuesday that her office is joining a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, with the support of the state’s Republican governor.
The lawsuit was first filed Saturday by the ACLU of Massachusetts as well as private immigration lawyers, on behalf of two associate professors from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth who were detained at Boston Logan Airport.
Healey announced she would be joining the suit on behalf of the state and the University of Massachusetts.
“The President’s executive order is a threat to our Constitution. Rather than protecting our national security, it stigmatizes those who would lawfully emigrate to our state,” Healey said in a statement. “With this policy, our global universities, hospitals, businesses and start-ups, and far too many students and residents have been put at risk.”
The lawsuit argues that Trump’s immigration order, which temporarily barred immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, violated the rights of visa-holders and permanent residents who were detained at airports over the weekend.
While the Trump administration claims that the order was meant to bolster national security, the suit further alleges the ban was motivated by Islamophobia.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R), a frequent critic of Trump’s, backed Healy’s move.
“Our administration has worked with the Attorney General’s office and supports her challenging this action,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to the courts resolving this matter expeditiously.”
