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Trump’s Muslim travel ban exempts grandparents, Hawaii judge rules

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Trump's Muslim travel ban exempts grand parents, Hawaii judge rules

The travel ban enforcement exemption on six Muslim-majority countries has been expanded by an Hawaii judge who ruled that grandparents are exempted from US President Donald Trump’s travel restriction.

Also exempted from the travel ban by the US District Judge Derrick Watson are grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the United States.

“Common sense, for instance, dictates that close family members be defined to include grandparents,” US District Judge Derrick Watson said in his ruling.

Read also: Trump’s travel ban put on hold by Hawaii judge

“Indeed grandparents are the epitome of close family members.”

Recall that about four months ago, Trump’s revised travel ban was put on hold by the Hawaii judge.

In his arguement, Watson said the new order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Ismail Elshikh, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the ban will prevent his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting.

Watson at the time concluded in his ruling that while the order did not mention Islam by name, “a reasonable, objective observer … would conclude that the executive order was issued with a purpose to disfavour a particular religion”.

 

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