Lawyers from Davis Wright Tremaine have sued the federal government for policy documents that could shed light on why international cannabis workers and investors are being denied entry – sometimes permanently – at the U.S. border.

In a complaint filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for Western District of Washington, Davis Wright partner John McKay – a former U.S. attorney in Seattle – and associate Chris Morley said the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not responded to a request for records about the “policy or practice of denying foreign nationals entry to the U.S. due to their involvement with cannabis businesses in the U.S. and abroad”.