President Donald Trump wants to keep America safe from terrorists and has chosen a travel ban as a tool to achieve his objective. His logic is simple – prevent entry of suspicious elements and ensure safety for Americans. The initial format has now been modified after five ninths and it grants entry rights to specific family members.

The present ban is a temporary one and would be 90 days for visitors and 120 days for refugees who hail from the six Muslim-majority countries that have been identified. A Visa will not be given to citizens of these six countries unless they can prove that they have a close family relationship with someone already in the United States or has a genuine link with a school or business.

The terms of the travel ban

New Zealand Herald reports that the State Department has announced the new criteria to determine eligibility for people to gain entry into the United States either as a visitor or as a refugee. The main criterion is that anyone who wants to come to America must prove that he has a relative who lives in the country. President Donald Trump believes that this method can eliminate terrorism from the soil.

The list of family members has also been defined which has raised many questions and there are apprehensions that the revised travel ban could also face legal hurdles because it would split many of the families. A section of advocates and lawyers have criticized the composition of the family list.

Lawyers for the state of Hawaii have already approached a federal judge on the subject. They want the government to prevent enforcing the ban because many family members do not appear in the list even though they are treated as family members in society. Moreover, the ban should not be applicable to refugees who are in possession of documents that they have an agreement with a local sponsor and also a place to stay.

Will such a ban keep Americans safe?

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert has defended the travel ban because it allows persons with proven credentials to enter the United States from the six identified countries and is an assurance that Americans would be safe.

Both refugees and visitors come under the purview of the revised ban and, as matters stand, the limit on the number of refugees who can be admitted is nearly over.

There are still three months to go for the fiscal year to end and the number of spots vacant are less than 1000. This is because the Donald Trump administration had reduced the numbers from 110,000 in the Obama era to 50,000 which could lead to complications.

However, Human rights groups have heaped criticism on the ban and feel that there could be more legal battles. Naureen Shah, director of campaigns for Amnesty International USA is of the opinion that Congress should overturn the ban because separating families based on these definitions is not only discriminatory but heartless as well.