Lawsuit: Customs must hand over travel ban documents

Minnesota's office of the American Civil Liberties Union has joined a lawsuit seeking the release of documents on the implementation of President Trump's bans on travel from Muslim-majority countries.

It's one of 13 Freedom of Information Act suits the ACLU has filed across the country. Minnesota's ACLU chapter says there's little information on whether anyone was detained or prevented from entering the state since Trump's executive order came down.

"It is important that we know how people are being treated when they travel to Minnesota. Everyone should be treated respectfully and legally," ACLU-MN's Interim Legal Director John Gordon said in a statement. "Transparency of government action is important to ensure that everyone's rights are respected."

The ACLU request was broad, seeking records including texts, emails, directives, training documents and meeting minutes that relate to how the travel ban was carried out.

The ACLU says it requested the information Feb. 2 from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the government has yet to respond sufficiently.

The first travel ban came via an executive order in late January. It barred all refugees from coming to the U.S. for four months and suspended travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries. That executive order was blocked by a federal court a week later.

The president issued a revised ban, which was also held up in the courts.