Federal judges hearing the case regarding Trump’s travel ban continue to falsely state that no terrorists have come from the nations affected by President Trump’s executive order temporarily barring immigration from seven majority-Muslim nations.
Not only have the judges been incorrect in these statements but the attorneys for the Department of Justice have been unprepared.
In a hearing last week, Judge James Robart, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington State, asked Justice Department lawyer Michelle Bennett, “Have there been terrorist attacks in the United States by refugees or other immigrants from the seven countries listed, since 9/11?” Bennett was not able to give Robart a response.
The federal judge then said, “Let me tell you. The answer to that is none, as best I can tell.” Robart subsequently issued an order which halted Trump’s executive action nationwide. The Daily Caller, however, reported days before Robart’s ruling that at least 20 alleged terrorists since 2014 have come from the countries affected by Trump’s travel ban. This includes two stabbing attacks that left 21 people wounded. The Washington Examiner reported Monday that at least 60 alleged terrorists came from these countries between Sept. 11, 2001 and 2014.
The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security have kept the immigration status of terrorists hidden, and these figures are based off publicly available information. This means the number of terrorists from these nations could be much larger and that the DOJ lawyers arguing the cases should have access to the complete picture.
Robart wasn’t the only judge to spout this fib. On Tuesday, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard arguments regarding the DOJ’s request for a stay. Judge William Canby asked DOJ attorney August Flentje, “How many federal offenses have we had being committed by people who came with visas from these countries? The answer was there haven’t been any.”
Flentje wasn’t able to firmly tell Canby that he is lying, and instead said, “These proceedings have been moving quite fast and we’re doing the best we can.”
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