President Donald Trump is determined to have in place a travel ban that will keep America safe from terrorists who could gain entry to carry out their nefarious designs. He had issued an executive order soon after assuming office, but it did not hold in the court of law and, he had to modify and re-issue it. However, the revised one has met a similar fate in Hawaii because a federal judge feels that the order discriminates on the basis of nationality.
During a rally in Nashville, Tennessee, the President has vowed to fight on the issue after the court intervened.
The arguments of Hawaii
Fox News reports that the federal judge considered the request of Hawaii which had wanted a temporary restraining order on the travel ban. Hawaii argued that imposition of such a ban would prevent entry of people from the six nations identified in the order. These nations are Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen and, those who reside there, and want to visit Hawaii, could be relatives of Hawaiians. Moreover, such a ban would be detrimental to its tourism industry and hamper recruitment of foreign students and workers.
Apart from Hawaii, many other states are trying to ensure that the ban is not imposed. Federal courts in Maryland, Washington State and Hawaii have already heard arguments about whether it should be put into practice.
A lawsuit of Maryland argues about the proposed reduction in the number of refugees that would be allowed to enter America. The reduction is drastic from 110,000 to 50,000 and, if implemented, would mean stranding of a population of 60,000 in war-torn countries. They would have nowhere else to go and could give rise to a major humanitarian crisis.
How the government sees it
The Department of Justice does not agree with the ruling of Hawaii and says it is a flawed one. Spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores has reiterated that the Executive Order falls within the lawful authority of President Donald Trump, is meant to protect the country and will be defended by the Department.
The argument of the government is that the revised travel ban takes care of legal concerns, and does not make any reference to religion. Neither does it make any distinction based on religion. DOJ has clarified that the ban is applicable only to new visas from people of the six countries that have been identified. It also added that the ban does not apply to those who already in possession of visas.
