Will The Wall Prevail, Or The ‘Law’: 16 US States Take On Trump Over Emergency, Ball Now In The Court Of Judiciary

Sixteen states in the US have together filed a federal lawsuit challenging President Trump’s declaration of emergency to build a wall along the US-Mexico border aimed at preventing illegal immigration into the US, reports Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The lawsuit, filed in California’s Northern District, calls on the country’s judiciary to intervene in the matter and stop the diversion of funds. It also accuses Trump of “flagrant disregard for the separation of powers.”

“President Trump has veered the country toward a constitutional crisis of his own making,” the lawsuit added.

All the 16 states that are parties to the suit - California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia - have Democrat attorney generals and all but one have governors belonging to the Democratic Party.

The Wall And The Emergency

On 15 February (2019), US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to bypass Congress and fulfil the long-pending demand of building a wall along the border with Mexico.

Declaration of emergency will allow the President to divert funds meant for military-construction or US Army Corps of Engineers to build the wall. Constructing a physical barrier along the southern border to prevent illegal migrants from entering the country was one of the major poll promises made by Trump during his election campaign.

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