US Lawmakers Reintroduce Legislation to Block Implementation of Trump Travel Ban

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday reintroduced bills in both houses of Congress that would prevent the implementation of a presidential executive order that bans travel from Muslim majority countries.

"US Senators Chris Murphy and Dianne Feinstein and US Representatives Judy Chu and Zoe Lofgren have each introduced companion bills in the US Senate and US House of Representatives to block the implementation of President Trump’s executive order blocking travel from majority Muslim countries," the release said. "The bills, S. 246and H.R. 810, would prohibit the use of any funds or fees to implement Executive Order 13780, signed on March 6, 2017."

Chu said the travel ban, which is now in its third iteration, is one of the weapons US President Donald Trump is using to foment xenophobia and bigotry and drive wedges in US communities.

On January 27, 2017, one week after taking office, Trump first introduced a ban prohibiting entry of foreign nationals from seven Muslim majority countries although court challenges forced the administration to modify the ban multiple times.

READ MORE: US Supreme Court Upholds Trump's Controversial Travel Ban

The Supreme Court in June upheld the current version of the executive order, also referred to as travel ban 3.0, which bars travelers from seven countries including five Muslim majority nations — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen — in addition to North Korea and Venezuela.