Trump's Revised Travel Ban Begins
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Part of President Donald Trump's revised travel ban was set to go into effect Thursday night.
After the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on the president's executive order, and lifted temporary restraining orders halting the travel ban, the Trump administration has set new criteria for visa applicants from six mainly Muslim nations and all refugees entering the U.S.
The new restrictions require a "close" family or business tie to the U.S. before applicants from Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran, and Yemen can obtain a visa. The same requirement applies to refugees from all nations still awaiting approval for admission to the U.S.
To prove a "close" family tie, an applicant must prove a relationship with a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling already in the United States to be eligible. Extended relatives such as grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, fiancees or other extended family members do not qualify as close relationships.
As far as business ties, the State Department requires a legitimate relationship be "formal, documented and formed in the ordinary course rather than for the purpose of evading" the ban.
The restrictions apply for 90 days for visa applicants from the six targeted nations. The ban applies for 120 days for refugees from any nation.
The Supreme Court will not hear arguments on the executive order until October, meaning a ruling likely would not come until after the executive order is scheduled to expire.
The Trump administration insisted the travel restrictions are not a ban on Muslims, but are in the interest of national security.
"We'll be able to move forward, not focusing on people from one religion or one culture … and do a better job at determining who the person is that wants to come and why they want to come here," Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said.
The new travel restrictions were set to begin at 8 p.m. Thursday.
