SC ruling re-affirms Trump's authority to use enhanced vetting to identify those who pose threat to US: WH

The US Supreme Court's decision to uphold Donald Trump's ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries reaffirmed the president's authority to use enhanced vetting to identify and exclude foreign nationals who pose a threat to America, the White House said today.

A day after the Supreme Court upheld Trump's travel ban, the White House said he has secured another historic victory for America's safety and security.

"The Supreme Court ruling affirms the president's authority to use enhanced vetting to identify and exclude foreign nationals who pose a threat to our country. The president has repeatedly called for enhanced vetting procedures to ensure that those who pose a threat to our country is identified before they enter the US," it said.

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld Trump's Proclamation in a 5-4 decision, which suspended the entry of foreign nationals into the US from countries that failed to meet minimum baseline requirements for immigration screening and vetting.

"It is the president's sacred duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people," the White House said, adding that the ruling affirmed the legality of the president's actions, and will allow the federal government to ensure the security of the United States.

According to the White House, Trump's proclamation on enhanced vetting is keeping America safe by ensuring that minimum security and information-sharing standards are met by countries around the world.

It is "making the United States, and countries around the world, safer by restricting travel from countries that do not meet minimum security and information-sharing standards,' the White House said.

Noting that the proclamation helps ensure that foreign governments provide the US with the information needed to vet their nationals, it said that after an evaluation of nearly 200 countries, Trump imposed travel restrictions on nationals from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia.

The Proclamation followed a worldwide review conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of State and other agencies, to assess the information the US needs to confirm the identity of and the potential security threat posed by individuals seeking to enter the country.

"As the Supreme Court majority noted, the Proclamation is 'limited to countries that were previously designated by Congress or prior administrations as posing national security risks.' On April 10, 2018, travel restrictions on Chad were removed after it met minimum baseline standards, thus allowing the US to properly vet nationals from Chad," said the White House.