Supreme Court travel ban ruling: What it means

Enforcement of portions of the travel ban may begin Thursday

The Supreme Court delivered a mixed ruling on Monday that will allow President Trump to implement his travel ban against six Muslim majority nations — but only for visitors lacking ties to the United States.

The court ruled that Trump may bar people from six majority Muslim countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — if they have no "bona fide" relationship to the U. S. Those that have established ties will be allowed to continue entering the country.

That means officials at the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department will have to begin sorting through each application submitted by travelers from the six targeted countries to determine if they have enough of a link to the U. S. to enter.

The justices provided several examples to explain who may enter the country:

If U. S. citizens claim close relatives from one of the targeted countries, they will be able to do so.

If U. S. universities have accepted students from one of the targeted countries, the students will be able to enter the U. S. and start their studies.

If a U. S. business has given a job to a worker from one of the targeted countries, the worker will be able to do that job.

“In practical terms, this means that ( the executive order) may not be enforced against foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States,” the court wrote.

Justice Clarence Thomas issued a warning about creating such an arrangement, warning that a "flood of litigation" will soon follow as the administration tries to walk the line established by the Supreme Court.

"I fear that the Court's remedy will prove unworkable," Thomas wrote. "Today's compromise will burden executive officials with the task of deciding — on peril of contempt — whether individuals from the six affected nations who wish to enter the United States have a sufficient connection to a person or entity in this country."

The earliest the administration can begin enforcing the portions of the travel ban allowed by the Supreme Court is Thursday.

"I fear that the Court's remedy will prove unworkable," Justice Clarence Thomas, United States Supreme Court