Trump's Travel Ban

            President Donald Trump signed two Executive Orders in an attempt to stop terrorists from entering the United States. Both orders affected countries that are mostly Muslim and considered to have higher risks of terrorism. The nations affected are Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, and Syria. Both travel bans were supposed to have 90-day limits, and both were stopped by lower court decisions. The matter was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, which accepted the case. 

            The Court decided to hear arguments in the travel ban case in October. In doing so, it generally overturned the decisions of the lower courts that prevented the travel ban from taking effect. President Trump said that the ban would go into effect within 72 hours of clearance by the Court. There is only one category of foreigners protected by the Court: those who have “a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity” in the United States.

            Apparently, the Supreme Court made the decision unanimous in taking the case because there were no dissents on hearing the arguments. There was, however, a dissenting opinion was written on the question of allowing people with “a credible claim” of a relationship with a person in the U.S. into the country. This dissent was written by Justice Clarence Thomas and joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. These three justices think the ban should have been entirely reinstated in all six countries.

            A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows that the majority of voters support the travel ban on visitors from the six mostly Muslim nations. “Asked whether they support or oppose the State Department’s `new guidelines which say visa applicants from six predominately Muslim countries must prove a close family relationship with U.S. resident in order to enter the country,’ 60 percent of respondents said they support the guidelines and only 28 percent oppose them.”

            Since the ban was for only 90 days, the case may be mute before the Supreme Court hears the arguments. However, it appears that the majority of Americans understands the reason for the ban and supports it. As my regular readers well know, I said all along that the President has the power and authority to ban whoever he wants to ban from entering the United States and for as long as he wants to ban them. The judges of the lower courts were not “fair and unbiased” in their decisions.