Women’s Refugee Commission Responds to Judge Watson’s Ruling on Travel Ban

Washington, DC – On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu, Hawaii ruled that President Donald Trump's interpretation of  “ close familial relationship” was too narrow and that the temporary ban on travelers from six Muslim-majority countries cannot be implemented to bar grandparents and other relatives of United States citizens from entering the country, according to Reuters. This interpretation stemmed from Trump's March 6th executive order banning travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and refugees for 120 days.

 Michelle Brané, Director, Migrant Rights and Justice, Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) responded to last night’s news with the following statement:

“The Women’s Refugee Commission is very pleased with Judge Watson’s ruling limiting the scope of Trump’s travel ban and affirming the importance of the realities of family relationships role in immigration and border policy. The Trump Administration’s attempt to bar grandparents and other family members from the United States under the guise of national security flies in the face of our values as a nation, and would further separate families seeking refuge in the United States. While this ban remains cruel and unconstitutional, we are made hopeful by Judge Watson’s narrow interpretation of an explicitly xenophobic and un-American executive order. Americans value family, and that includes grandmothers, cousins, aunts and uncles.”