Travel Ban Begins Thursday

President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban begins Thursday. President Trump says this is a necessary step in keeping American citizens safe, but there are grey areas in the executive order.

The Supreme Court partially reinstated President Trump’s travel ban on six predominantly Muslim countries, but said those with a bona fide relationship can still enter. Law professor MARSHA Zug says there’s confusion on how the Supreme Court and the Trump administration interprets a bona fide relationship.

“The way the government is seeing it right now is… close relationships mean a spouse, a child…stepchild, certain groups are not falling into it. Grandparents, fiance’s are not falling into it,” Zug said.

Zug also said even with this ban in place, only a small group of those trying to enter the U.S. will be affected.

“Most people who come over have a relative or have a job or have someone who has invited them here. The groups that are going to be left out– refugees may not. So this ban certainly may make it impossible for refugees to come over from these counties,” Zug said.

Sister Lynne Miller, who works as a refugee outreach coordinator at the Islamic Center in Columbia, says the ban isn’t scaring refugees from wanting to come to the U.S.

“The travel ban is more, I can’t go home than I can’t get in,” Miller said.

Miller said the ban limits their ability to help those in need, and that is the most hurtful part.

“One of my Sudanese families just went to the floor a couple of days ago crying ‘I can’t go home, I had no idea, this isn’t what we thought America was,'” Miller said.

Refugees aren’t the only ones who may be affected by the ban.

“At the university, I think we have have students from these countries. We certainly admit students from these countries. Is that going ot be enough that they can come over here? Or is that going to not be a bonafide relationship. On the one had it’s the supreme court’s decision seems to imply that it should be… at the same time if we’re limiting it to a close relationship, a lot of times we haven’t even met many of these students. So I’m not sure that we’d qualify as a close relationship,” Zug said.

Miller says even with the ban, she knows God will override President Trump, and that’s what gives her hope.