WASHINGTON – The US Justice Department has moved the Supreme Court to overturn the decision of a lower court of Hawaii that weakened Donald Trump’s travel ban on six Muslim countries by allowing entry of grandparents and other relatives of US citizens and refugees.
The court battle over Trump’s travel ban, which was slapped for purposes of national security, erupted after the Supreme Court partially revived the two bans, blocked by the lower courts, during last month.
The US Supreme Court had revived the ban with a limited scope, allowing entry to those who have credible “bona fide relationship” with a US person or entity.
Following the apex court’s decision, the Trump administration had exempted spouses, parents, children, fiances and siblings from the ban, but it had imposed the ban on entry of grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, in-laws, extended family and grandchildren irking the people of Hawaii.
On Thursday, US District Judge Derrick Watson directed the government to allow entry to grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the United States.
The judge said in his ruling, “Common sense, for instance, dictates that close family members be defined to include grandparents,” adding, “Indeed grandparents are the epitome of close family members.”
Trump slapped the ban on six Muslim countries, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen through executive order on March 6 for 90 days. The ban was later suspended by the lower courts.
