Blumenthal Statement on Supreme Court Ruling Protecting Close Relatives from Trump Muslim Ban

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement today following a Supreme Court ruling that defines the “bona fide relationship” necessary for entry to the United States under a recent Supreme Court ruling limiting President Trump’s travel ban to include a broader group of relatives, including grandparents. The Court’s ruling also allows the government to enforce tighter restrictions on refugees seeking entry to the United States until the Ninth Circuit has ruled on the issue.

“The Court correctly applied common sense to interpret family members as including grandparents and other close relatives and therefore to grant them an exception to the travel ban. Hopefully the same common sense will persuade the appellate courts to grant a similar exception to refugees having longstanding relationships with resettlement organizations funded by the U.S. government. This interpretation would seem both good logic and sound law, as well as serving the humanitarian and national interest.”