Border security

Love it or leave: Sessions warns DOJ as Democrats push back on new travel ban

Several Democratic state attorneys general are mulling legal challenges to President Donald Trump’s new travel ban, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said the Justice Department will defend and enforce it, hinting he may fire US attorneys who refuse.

Trump issued an executive order on Monday, imposing a 90-day travel ban on citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, effective March 16. The order is intended to replace the January 27 travel ban that sparked widespread protests and was quickly blocked by the courts after complaints from several attorneys general from Democratic-leaning states.

Several Democratic attorneys general have already voiced opposition to the new ban, and said they were considering challenging it in court. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the face of the legal challenge to the first ban, said Monday he was “carefully reviewing the new executive order to determine its impacts on Washington state and our next legal steps."