Washington: The US Supreme Court on Monday partially reinstated Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban targeting citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries, before examining the case in full this autumn. The revised measure, announced in March, had sought to bar entry of travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, as well as suspend the entry of refugees for 120 days.
The Supreme Court narrowed the scope of those injunctions, saying the government could enforce its measure against “foreign nationals unconnected to the US” without causing injury to the parties who filed suit. Conversely, those with a “close familial relationship” in the US are not affected. The Supreme Court also allowed a 120-ban on refugees on a limited basis.
The court’s opinion explained the kinds of relationships people from the six countries must demonstrate to obtain a US visa. “For individuals, a close familial relationship is required,” the court said. For people who want to come to the US to work or study, “the relationship must be formal, documented and formed in the ordinary course, not for the purpose of evading” the travel ban.
Donald Trump hailed Monday’s ruling as a victory for national security. “Today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision is a clear victory for our national security,” Mr Trump said in a White House statement. “It allows the travel suspension for the six terror-prone countries and the refugee suspension to become largely effective. As President, I cannot allow people into our country who want to do us harm.”
Mr Trump had last week said that the ban would take effect 72 hours after being cleared by courts. Three of the court’s conservative justices said they would have let the complete bans take effect.
