Supreme Court upholding travel ban is ‘abhorrent,’ Gov. Inslee says

Gov. Jay Inslee accused the Supreme Court of “turning a blind eye” after justices voted 5-4 to uphold the president’s travel ban from several primarily Muslim countries.

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“It is abhorrent that, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the president’s Muslim ban, apparently turning a blind eye to the president’s own words and our country’s constitutional protections against discrimination,” Inslee said. “The president has made it clear that his Muslim ban and refugee policies were never intended to be about national security, but instead discrimination against certain people for their cultures and religious beliefs.”

In the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that presidents have the power to regulate immigration while rejecting the claim that the ban was anti-Muslim.

The policy affirmed by the Supreme Court applies to travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. It also blocks travelers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.

The administration argues the travel restrictions were put in place over national security concerns. Inslee criticized that thinking, saying the court has used national security to “affirm policies like the internment of Japanese-Americans.” Supreme Court justices said the policy has a “legitimate grounding in national security concerns.”

President Trump proposed an all-encompassing Muslim ban during his campaign in 2015. Within a week of taking office, the first travel ban was announced. The ban, which sparked several lawsuits, remained a key piece of Trump’s vision for “America First.”

In a statement, Trump called the justices’ decision on Tuesday “a moment of profound vindication.”

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