On April 25, 2018, the Supreme Court considered the legality of President Trump’s third version of his Travel Ban. Indications during oral argument were that the Court’s majority conservative wing might be reticent to rule against the Executive Branch. A ruling is expected in late June, 2018.
Following the Administration’s removal of Chad from the list of targeted countries, the ban continues to block virtually all immigration of intending permanent residents from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. This includes those immigrating as spouses, children, parents, and siblings of U.S. citizens, and spouses and unmarried children of permanent residents. It also includes individuals immigrating based on their employment who are typically highly skilled professionals, often working in STEM professions.
Travel Ban 3.0 also continues to block entry of most nonimmigrants, those coming to the U.S. temporarily to visit, study or work for U.S. employers in professional positions, who are nationals of the countries listed above, as well as blocking non-diplomatic visits by certain Venezuelan government officials and their family members.
The Travel Ban is successfully keeping families divided, and preventing employers from accessing the global talent they need to compete and grow, including families and employers in Maine. A summary of Travel Ban 3.0 is available here. (A separate ban also being litigated, “Travel Ban 4.0“, bars entry of refugees from several predominantly Muslim countries.)
Regardless of how the Supreme Court ultimately rules, a variety of other new policies and procedures by the current Administration have resulted in drastically reduced numbers of individuals coming to the U.S. from predominantly Muslim nations, as explained in a recent report by the Cato Institute.