Poll finds support for blocking travel bans

57% believe court rulings justified

WASHINGTON — Most Americans say federal courts are acting properly in blocking President Donald Trump’s travel ban, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Two versions of the travel ban targeting Muslimmajority countries have been put on hold by federal courts. Trump says the ban is necessary to keep would-be terrorists from traveling to the United States. Opponents, including some state officials, argue that it is intended to keep Muslims out.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say the courts have acted correctly by blocking the travel ban from taking effect, while 39 percent say the judges are wrongly interfering. The poll shows a sharp partisan divide: 82 percent of Democrats say the courts acted rightly, while 73 percent of Republicans say they’re wrongly interfering. Among independents, 56 percent agree with the courts.

“From the beginning President Trump said, even before the election, that he intended to ban Muslims, not that he intended to ban terrorists, but Muslims,” said Nick Hardy, 54, an independent voter who said he leans Democratic. “That’s just not right.”

Trump initially signed an executive order in late January that banned people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya from traveling to the United States. That included legal permanent residents. The order also blocked all refugees from being resettled in the United States. The order caused chaos and confusion at airports around the world. Some travelers arriving in the United States were detained before being sent home, and people overseas were blocked from boarding U.S.-bound flights.

The original order was blocked in federal court, and an appeals court later upheld that ruling. A second order that dropped Iraq from the list of affected countries also has been blocked. It also exempted legal U.S. residents from the ban.

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to immediately reinstate the updated ban, saying the U.S. will be safer if it is in place.

Sixty-two percent of responders did think trying to protect the United States from security threats was a major reason for the bans, while 26 percent thought it was a minor reason and 11 percent thought it was not a reason at all.

On the other hand, 50 percent of people who responded to the AP-NORC poll said they think a desire to prevent Muslims from entering the country was a major reason for the ban, while 20 percent said it was a minor reason. Twenty-eight percent thought it was not a reason.