U.S. Supreme Court Allows Full Enforcement Of Trump Travel Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court has tentatively decided to allow the Trump administration to fully enforce a travel ban on residents of six mostly Muslim countries, although stopped short of issuing a formal ruling on its legality. According to analysts, however, the move indicates that the top court might eventually approve the latest version of the prohibition applying to prospective visitors from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Chad and Somalia; this, despite objections from lower courts that individuals from these nations with a claim of a “bona fide” relationships with U.S. residents—for instance, grandparents, cousins and other relatives—could not be kept out of the country. Trump revised the policy in September after rolling out, immediately upon assuming the presidency and without warning, an initial ban that sparked widespread opposition and caused chaos at American airports. While the top justices offered no explanation for their order, the White House previously contended that blocking the full ban was causing “irreparable harm” to national security and infringed on the president’s right to formulate immigration and foreign policy, in general. Objections to the ban are still making their way through the U.S. federal court system.