HONOLULU — A federal judge in Hawaii on Thursday expanded the list of family relationships needed by people seeking new visas from six mostly Muslim countries to avoid President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson ordered the government not to enforce the ban on grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the United States.Related Articles Judge voids grandparent travel ban: What it means, what’s next
“Common sense, for instance, dictates that close family members be defined to include grandparents,” U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson said in his ruling. “Indeed grandparents are the epitome of close family members.”
The U.S. Supreme Court last month exempted visa applicants from the ban if they can prove a “bona fide” relationship with a U.S. citizen or entity.
The Trump administration has said the ban won’t apply to citizens of the six countries with a parent, spouse, fiance, son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling already in the U.S.
What Are Your Thoughts?
