Modified version of US travel ban kicks in

WASHINGTON: A modified version of US President Donald Trump’s travel ban went into effect on Thursday evening, barring refugees and people from six Muslimmajority nations from entering the country.

According to the guidelines issued by the state department, all refugees and visitors from Libya, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Syria are banned from entering the US for periods of 120 days and 90 days respectively — time needed to fix the screening process.

The guidelines exempt visitors with “bona fide” relationship with those already in the US — “close family” like parents, children, siblings, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, stepchildren. Also exempted are those coming to study or work.

However, those affected by the ban include grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, cousins and fiancés. This oversight was cited by lawyers of the state of Hawaii as the reason for filing a suit just minutes before the order went into effect, asking a federal judge to stop the government from enforcing the “illegal and unconstitutional” ban.

On Monday, the US Supreme Court upheld the travel ban Trump had sought by citing national security concerns, saying it will affect all “foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States”.

The top court left the executive branch to determine what will and will not constitute a “bone fide relationship”.

The state department on Thursday sent cables to its missions, allowing preparations to be made in order to prevent a repeat of the chaotic rollout of the original order in January.

The new order is a modified version of an executive order issued by Trump on March 6, narrowing the scope of the original order that applied to seven Muslim-majority countries (including Iraq). The order was stayed by lower courts for being discriminatory against a particular religion and unconstitutional.