President Trump’s Travel Ban Just Took Effect


President Trump’s travel ban preventing immigration from six Muslim-majority countries went into effect Thursday night at 8 p.m.

On Monday, the Supreme Court voted on whether or not to approve portions of the ban to take effect. This was on a revised version of President Trump’s original travel ban, which he signed into effect on the first week of his presidency. The court approved this revised version, 9-0.

President Trump’s original ban caused chaos at airports in the U.S. and around the world after the policies were disastrously implemented. Several local courts swiftly rejected the president’s orders while immigration rights groups struggled to help people affected by the ban. Since then, the Trump administration spent five months revising the legislation and finally had it approved unanimously by the Supreme Court on Monday.

Unlike in January, when the travel ban was issued suddenly, airports and immigration officials had until Thursday night at 8 p.m. before the new policies were expected to be implemented. Officials were confident that pandemonium would not result this time around.

“We expect things to run smoothly — our people are well-prepared for this.”

What countries are affected by the ban?

Six Muslim-majority countries are affected by the travel ban. They are Libya, Syria, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan.

Critics say that President Trump’s ban unfairly targets Muslims, and point to inflammatory words he said during the campaign when he called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims” entering the U.S.

But those who agree with the policy reject the claim that the travel ban unfairly targets Muslims, pointing out most Muslim-majority countries, like Indonesia and Iraq, aren’t on the list. The Trump administration explained their reasoning.

“Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones.”

Under the travel ban, refugees like these men from Syria will have a difficult time entering the U.S. [Image by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images]

What does the ban do?

CNN called this a “watered-down” version of the original travel ban. This ban prevents people from the banned countries from entering the United States for between 90 and 120 days. There are still ways to come to the U.S., but people from these countries now face additional restrictions. People who already have visas, are dual citizens, or were specifically invited to the U.S. can still move freely between the countries.

The Supreme Court approved the travel ban legislation unanimously at 9-0.
[Image by Alex Wong/Getty Images]

Who is affected by the ban?

Anyone from Libya, Syria, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan is no longer allowed to enter the United States. However, there are some exceptions mentioned above.

In addition, the new guidelines for immigration requires that applicants prove that they already have a relationship with someone in the U.S. to enter the country. For example, you need to have a parent, child, spouse, or step-relative here in the U.S. to try and apply for immigration, but grandparents, uncles, or nieces don’t count.

In the fall, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for and against the ban and decide whether to continue with these policies, make them even more strict, or get rid of them altogether. In the meantime, it will be more difficult for people from Libya, Syria, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan to visit or immigrate to the U.S.

[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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