US top court partially reinstates Trump travel ban

US President Donald Trump has welcomed a Supreme Court ruling allowing his travel ban to be partly reinstated as a ‘victory for our national security’

Trump said the US Supreme Court's ruling
Trump said the US Supreme Court's ruling "allows the travel suspension for the six terror-prone countries and the refugee suspension to become largely effective"

The US Supreme Court on Monday partially reinstated Donald Trump's controversial travel ban targeting citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries, prompting the president to claim a victory for national security.

The nine justices, who will hear arguments in the case in October, narrowed the scope of lower court rulings that had completely blocked key parts of a 6 March executive order that Trump had said was needed to prevent terrorism attacks, allowing his temporary ban to go into effect for people countries "who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."

The court tempered its ruling by saying the ban could not be implemented against people who have personal links to the US, citing the examples of foreign nationals wishing to visit family or students accepted to attend university.

The order came on the last day of the court’s current term and agreed to hear oral arguments during its next term starting in October so it can decide finally whether the ban is lawful in a major test of presidential powers.

In a statement, Trump called the high court's action "a clear victory for our national security," saying the justices allowed the travel suspension to become largely effective.

"As President, I cannot allow people into our country who want to do us harm. I want people who can love the United States and all of its citizens, and who will be hardworking and productive," Trump added.

Trump's 6 March order called for a blanket 90-day ban on people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day ban on all refugees while the government implemented stronger vetting procedures. The court allowed a limited version of the refugee ban, which had also been blocked by courts, to go into effect.

The State Department said it would begin enforcing the travel ban "in a professional, organised and timely way" within 72 hours, in line with a memorandum signed by Trump earlier this month.

Trump issued the order amid rising international concern about attacks carried out by Islamist militants like those in Paris, London, Brussels, Berlin and other cities. But challengers said no one from the affected countries had carried out attacks in the United States.

Federal courts said the travel ban violated federal immigration law and was discriminatory against Muslims in violation of the US Constitution. Critics called it a discriminatory "Muslim ban."