SPLC urges DHS to provide immediate guidance on Muslim ban implementation
The Southern Poverty Law Center joined two other organizations this week in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release immediate guidance and precise criteria outlining how the department intends to implement the Supreme Court decision that allows the Muslim ban to take partial effect.
Under the Supreme Court’s order issued this week, people from the six Muslim-majority countries identified by President Donald Trump in an executive order may enter the United States if they have a “bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”
But people who do not have such connections, and who do not fall within one of the exceptions listed in the executive order, will need to apply for a “waiver.”
In their letter, the SPLC, Muslim Advocates, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State requested guidance within 48 hours of receipt of the letter and no later than the date of implementation of the executive order on how affected individuals can apply for waivers. It also requests what qualifies as a “bona fide relationship” with a person or entity in the United States.
Along with this letter, the organizations also sent DHS and the Department of State a Freedom of Information Act request for additional information about how the federal government intends to implement the case-by-case waiver provisions of the Muslim ban.
It is the duty of the administration and DHS to provide guidance to protect the rights of immigrants and travelers to the United States, and to limit the inevitable confusion and chaos that will arise out of implementation of any part of the executive order.
