More Than 500 Employees of Massachusetts Companies Were Affected by the Trump Travel Ban

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The impact of President Trump’s travel ban continues to emanate throughout Massachusetts, with a lawsuit saying 545 people from various companies and institutions were affected, according to the Boston Business Journal. Six businesses filed the suit protesting the negative impacts of the ban, including TripAdvisor, the University of Massachusetts, and Nano-C, a Westwood tech firm.

Attorney General Maura Healey joined the companies on Tuesday to file a joint complaint in federal court. The complaint contains written testimony stating that these 545 people are either barred from entering the United States or may be prevented from returning should they leave as a direct result of the ban. It’s one of many signs of the ways the ban has snarled the day-to-day workings of businesses, universities, hospitals, and residents since its passage.

Signed on the evening of January 27, the ban prevents citizens from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days, prevents refugees from entering the country for 120 days, and bars Syrian refugees from entering the U.S. altogether. The various refugees that it has banned had already been cleared to travel to the U.S., and no immigrants from those countries have killed U.S. citizens in acts of terrorism since 9/11.

Healey hopes that the complaint will extend the ruling from federal judges in Boston, which places a stay on the immigration ban. Because of this stay, people with visa cards, refugees, and U.S. residents are allowed to enter the country though Boston’s Logan Airport. However, the stay only lasts seven days from when it was signed Sunday morning.