Washington Dulles International Airport, Photo: oe Ravi/Wikimedia Commons
The Supreme Court on Monday allowed parts of President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from six Muslim majority countries to take effect but said it would not restrict entry of the those having a bona fide relationship in the United States.
The highest court’s decision overrides verdicts by federal and appeals courts that had earlier frozen the travel ban order, citing discrimination against travelers based on their religious affiliation.
President Trump welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision is a clear victory for our national security. It allows the travel suspension for the six terror-prone countries and the refugee suspension to become largely effective,” he said according to a White House statement.
“My number one responsibility as Commander in Chief is to keep the American people safe. Today’s ruling allows me to use an important tool for protecting our Nation’s homeland. I am also particularly gratified that the Supreme Court’s decision was 9-0,” Trump added.
Trump had issued an executive order, which his administration later watered down, to suspend entry of travelers to the United States from six Muslim majority countries including Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for a period of 90 days.
During this period, the Administration said it would tighten screening and vetting procedures for new visitors to the United States to ensure national security.
Iraq, which was included in the original executive order, was later removed from the list as the Administration said the country complied with security requirements.
The order also seeks a 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States.
Last week, President Trump had said the ban would be enforced 72 hours after the court okays it.
The Trump Administration will complete the review of its vetting process for new applicants by October 2 this year.
According to the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday, the ban “may not be enforced against foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”
The judges would consider in October whether the case will be moot.
The issuance of the travel ban order had started a legal battle between the Trump Administration and civil rights groups, that argued that the ban was against constitution while the administration said it was needed to improve vetting process for new visa applicants from the countries, who have broken systems, and cannot comply with necessary requirements.
The travel ban order also triggered a series of protests in several cities, and airports.
