Travel Ban, and Beyond

[Draggingtree]

Chronicles Magazine

Travel Ban, and Beyond

By Srdja Trifkovic - JUNE 29, 2017

The Supreme Court decided on June 26 to allow key parts of the Trump administration’s “travel ban” to go into effect temporarily.  This was an unexpected victory for the President—and for common sense.  Until the Court hears the full case in October, the administration will be able to bar travelers from six majority-Muslim countries who cannot show a “bona fide” connection to a person or entity in the United States.  The Court said the relationship must be “formal, documented and formed in the ordinary course, not for the purpose of evading” the travel ban.

Trump’s next task should be to make the 90-day ban permanent.  Over the past two decades hundreds of Muslims born abroad have been convicted of terrorism-related crimes in the United States.  They have included persons who came to America legally on visas, as well as refugees.  More than 300 persons who came to the U.S. as refugees are currently the subjects of counterterrorism investigations by the FBI.

In the long term, Trump should seek to reinstate the substance of his original executive order, which was issued on January 27 and revoked on March 6.  Its stated “Purpose” declares that