Trump to Supreme Court: Restore Travel Ban Now

News Staff : Jun 2, 2017
CBN News

The administration is hoping for quick action, asking the high court to make its decision on whether to hear the case before their three-month recess at the end of June.

(Washington, DC) — [CBN News] The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to immediately reinstate its 90-day ban on travelers from six countries – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – that pose a terrorism threat. (Photo Credit: CBN News)

The administration says the U.S. will be safer with this policy put in place.

The official request comes one week after the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the executive order, saying it was "rooted in religious animus and intended to bar Muslims from this country."

"Congress granted the president broad power to deny entry to aliens, but that power is not absolute," the court wrote in its decision. "It cannot go unchecked when, as here, the president wields it through executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation."

On Thursday, the Justice Department argued that the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, made several mistakes in ruling against the policy.

Immigration officials would have 90 days to decide what changes are necessary before travelers from the six banned countries may resume applying for visas.

This is the second of two executive orders to be rejected by the courts. President Donald Trump signed the first one a week after taking office in January.

That order took effect immediately, resulting in chaos and confusion at airports as the Homeland Security Department tried to sort out who the ban applied to and how to implement it.

Administration officials, however, insist the new order doesn't contain the flaws of its predecessor.

The Justice Department is "confident that President Trump's executive order is well within his lawful authority to keep the nation safe and protect our communities from terrorism," agency spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said.

"The president is not required to admit people from countries that sponsor or shelter terrorism, until he determines that they can be properly vetted and do not pose a security risk to the United States," she added.

The administration is hoping for quick action, asking the high court to make its decision on whether to hear the case before their three-month recess at the end of June.