Gov. Jay Inslee today released a statement on President Trump’s decision to expand a discriminatory travel ban to impose immigration restrictions on six additional countries.

“Washington was the first state to challenge the president’s unlawful travel ban three years ago. We recognized then, as we do today, that it is an affront to constitutional protections against discrimination. It has separated families and hurt tens of thousands of people.

“Today’s expansion also needlessly hurts families and communities. President Trump’s decision to double-down on this policy is a clear attempt to restrict immigration based on race and religion, under the guise of national security. Rather than making America safer, this decision further undermines key international relationships and hurts our ability to fight extremism abroad.

“We have come to expect this from the Trump administration. Just a few weeks ago, Washingtonians who happen to be Iranian-American were improperly detained by federal officers at the Canadian-U.S. border because of their national origin and questioned about their religious beliefs.

“Discrimination is neither a Washington value nor an American one. We are reviewing the president’s travel ban expansion and will look at a variety of options to protect marginalized communities in our state from further persecution by this administration.”

Background:

Washington state response to 2017 travel ban