Libyan student sues Donald Trump in discrimination claim

A Libyan student in the Colorado capital Denver filed a civil rights lawsuit against US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, claiming the executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries violates his constitutional rights.

Zakaria Hagig, a business student at the Community College of Denver, has sued for a declaration that the order violates his religious and due process rights.

"A lot of people are saying that this is not constitutional, this is not right," said Hagig.

The lawsuit was filed by Morgan Carroll and Alan Kennedy-Shaffer, two lawyers who are representing Hagig.

"We believe that the executive order is unlawful, unconstitutional, and un-American," said Alan Kennedy-Shaffer, who is also a PhD student at the University of Colorado.

"Federal law specifically prohibits discrimination based on race, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence," Carroll said.

The executive order of January 27 bans all citizens from Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Libya from entering the US.

According to the wording of the lawsuit, the government must give a legal reason ["due cause"] before depriving Hagig of his right to travel.

"The executive order was substantially motivated by animus toward and has a disparate effect on Muslims."

The lawsuit names the Department of Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Protection agency alongside the president of the United States.