Trump’s Travel Ban Headed to Supreme Court
A United States appeals court refused to reinstate President Donald Trump’s travel ban; his administration said it would seek a review at the Supreme Court.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia ruled that refugee groups will likely succeed in challenging the executive order based on constitutional guarantees against religious discrimination.
Chief Judge Roger Gregory wrote in the ruling that the order uses “vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination.”
Ten judges appointed by Democrats ruled against the ban, while three judges appointed by Republicans dissented, arguing the order does not mention religion and that Trump’s campaign statements should not influence the ruling.
The March executive order revised Trump’s initial January order by removing explicit references to religion and Iraq from the list of travel-ban countries. It suspended travel from six other Muslim-majority countries and temporarily halted refugee resettlement.
In a concurring opinion, 4th Circuit judge Stephanie Thacker said the revised ban was “the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
The suspension of refugee resettlement was not addressed in this instance, but has been halted by another ruling from Hawaii in a case currently being reviewed by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
WHO Warns Refugees Close to Epicenter of Ebola Outbreak
An influx of refugees to the Democratic Republic of Congo risks spreading the deadly Ebola virus to the Central African Republic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Around 2,750 people have fled militia violence in Bangassou in the CAR over the border into the DRC’s Bas-Uele province in recent weeks.
Bas-Uele is the epicenter of the DRC’s eighth Ebola outbreak. There have been four deaths, two confirmed cases and 41 other suspected cases since early May, the WHO said. Another 365 people who had contact with Ebola sufferers are being monitored.
The outbreak has been fairly well contained because of the remote location of Bas-Uele, but health experts are concerned that refugees returning to the CAR could bring Ebola with them to a country that is ill-equipped to cope with it.
Refugees Fear Relocation from Manus Center
Papua New Guinea told asylum seekers in the Australian-run detention center on Manus Island they must move to another facility in a nearby town.
Several refugees told Reuters they were afraid to move to Lorengau because of local violence against asylum seekers, but were worried refusing to do so could jeopardize their eligibility for resettlement in the U.S. under an Obama-era deal.
“I’m not going to Lorengau,” said one asylum seeker who asked for anonymity. “Many refugees have been beaten, robbed and abused [there] in different ways.”
U.S. Homeland Security interviews will also be moved from the detention center to “other locations,” according to a notice from authorities.
Papua New Guinea is starting the shutdown of the center this week and said it will be completed by November.
Recommended Reads:
- The Economist: Migration From Eritrea Slows
- International Refugee Rights Initiative: Why We Shouldn’t Ignore What’s Happening in Cameroon
- The Local: How a Wild West Theme Park Became a Home for Refugees in Sweden
- Foreign Policy: Trump Adviser Stephen Miller Blocked G-7 Migration Proposal
- The New York Times: Smugglers Offer Luxury Passage for Migrants, if They Can Pay