11/17/2017

Court Allows Latest Travel Ban to Take Effect

The ban is partially in effect for some parties from six countries

A federal appeals court in California on Monday allowed President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban to partially take effect, excluding people from six mostly-Muslim countries who have a “bona fide relationship” in the U.S.

In a brief two-paragraph order, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said the travel ban can go into effect for travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen who lack any family members or ties to the U.S. Those with “bona fide relationships” can still enter the U.S., and those relationships could be close family or an entity in the U.S., such as a university or company or even an association that is hosting a conference, for example. The ban has already been in effect for certain government officials from Venezuela and North Koreans and the court did not address restrictions on those countries.

Lauren Ehrsam, a spokesperson for the Justice Department, told The New York Times this week that the administration will begin enforcing the travel ban as allowed by the court but will continue to appeal the lower court ruling because the administration believes the ban should be allowed to take effect in its entirety, regardless of whether someone has a relationship or ties to the U.S.

The administration crafted the latest travel ban earlier this year after courts ruled that the previous two versions were unconstitutional attempts to ban Muslims from the country and violated the Constitution.

“As we’ve said before, we’re concerned about the impact this ban is having on international travel to the U.S. in general," said John Graham, president and CEO of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), after the latest court order. "Hopefully, we can get to a point where we’re addressing our national security concerns without discouraging people from coming here for tourism or business.”

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.