HIAS Responds to Supreme Court Order Resuming Travel Ban

SILVER SPRING, Md.—Today, the United States Supreme Court allowed the full implementation of the Trump Administration’s latest travel ban. The most recent version of the ban, issued on September 24, blocks people from eight mostly Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. A U.S. District Court ruling on October 17 in Hawaii and a ruling in Maryland a few days later halted the order from going into effect.

The Trump Administration will now be allowed to ban travelers from the eight countries at least until the cases at issue, Trump v. Hawaii and Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project—in which HIAS is a plaintiff—are heard in the Ninth and Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, respectively, in the coming days. The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the cases.

In response, Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees, issued the following statement:

“We are disappointed that the Supreme Court, without explaining itself, has given the President a green light, for the time being, to discriminate against people because they are Muslims. We look forward to the rulings of the federal courts of appeals. HIAS and our supporters will always speak out in opposition to policies that ban people on the basis of their faith, country of birth or nationality.”

HIAS is also serving as co-counsel in Jewish Family Service of Seattle v. Trump, a class action suit brought by two of HIAS’ longtime local refugee resettlement partners, Jewish Family Service of Seattle and Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley, challenging the latest iteration of the refugee ban.   

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