Proud nationalist Steve Bannon may be out of the White House picture, but President Trump’s travel ban continues to find new life, probably because Stephen Miller will keep the ball rolling. To that effect, the administration is doing everything it can to ensure that it will be victorious in the upcoming Supreme Court hearings regarding the ban. Recently, SCOTUS temporarily restored the policy’s most recent incarnation and further allowed Trump to block most refugees from entering the U.S. However, the White House must have felt less than optimistic about the rest of the ban’s survival, so they’re revamping the thing (again).
The New York Times reports that this weekend shall see a ban replacement that will specify targeted travel restrictions regarding six Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. That is to say, travelers from each country will have to meet specific conditions depending upon their country of origin. Officially, the White House redid the travel ban after its own review, and Trump tweeted his desire for “tougher” restrictions after the recent London Tube terror attack. Details so far are vague:
Though the restrictions would differ for each country, people living in the targeted nations could be prevented from traveling to the United States or could face increased scrutiny as they seek to obtain a visa.
The Department of Homeland Security initially identified more than six nations that were failing to comply with security standards that could block terrorists from entering the United States. Officials notified the governments in those nations that travel to the United States could be severely restricted if they did not increase those standards. It was not clear which countries would be targeted under the new restrictions.
Ambiguity remains regarding which countries on the ban will see extra scrutiny, and it doesn’t appear that travelers will see advance warning of new guidelines before they’re expected to drop on Sunday. This could, in effect, replicate the January chaos that brought airport protests after Trump’s initial Muslim ban, but it seems like that possibility is a lesser concern compared to the upcoming SCOTUS fight — which will weigh the constitutionality of the ban as a whole — on October 10.
After all, Trump’s different bans have seen pushback by multiple federal courts, and — let’s face it — this president just wants a win. Any win at all.
(Via New York Times)