Washington, DC – Refugee advocacy groups have raised concerns after the US Supreme Court partially reinstated the Trump administration’s ban on travellers from six predominantly Muslim countries – commonly known as the “Muslim ban” – and all refugees, until it reviews the ban in October.

“I am deeply disappointed by the court’s decision … the suspension of refugee resettlement will impact the most vulnerable of the world’s populations,” Eric Schwartz, president of Refugees International, said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.

US President Donald Trump claims the order, originally signed in March after a similar ban was struck down in February, is necessary for the US to revamp its screening protocols for refugees. He said the decision was a “clear victory” for national security in a statement on Monday.

Schwartz disagreed: “There is no reasonable national security justification for these measures.” According to reports, no refugees have been responsible for fatal attacks in the US since the Refugee Act of 1980 set up systematic procedures for accepting refugees into the country.

The ban takes effect 72 hours after the injunction was lifted – Thursday morning in the US. It places a 90-day freeze on visas to travellers from Syria, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen – as well as a 120-day freeze on the nation’s refugee programme.

The court made an important exception, saying the ban “may not be enforced against foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States”.

 

-AL JAZEERA