Thoughts on the Latest Development in the U.S. Administration Travel Ban case

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear the lawfulness of the U.S. Administration’s revised Travel Ban. We’ve opposed this Executive Order from the beginning as it undermines immigration law and impedes the travel necessary for people who build, maintain, and protect the Internet to come together.

Today’s new development means that until the legal case is resolved the travel ban cannot be enforced against people from the six predominantly Muslim countries who have legitimate ties or relationships to family or business in the U.S. This includes company employees and those visiting close family members.

However, the Supreme Court departed from lower court opinions by allowing the ban to be enforced against visa applicants with no connection to the U.S.  We hope that the Government will apply this standard in a manner so that qualified visa applicants who demonstrate valid reasons for travel to the U.S. are not discriminated against, and that these decisions are reliably made to avoid the chaos that travelers, families, and business experienced earlier this year.

Ultimately, we would like the Court to hold that blanket bans targeted at people of particular religions or nationalities are unlawful under the U.S. Constitution and harmfully impact families, businesses, and the global community.  We will continue to follow this case and advocate for the free flow of information and ideas across borders, of which travel is a key part.