NIAC on Hawai‘i Court’s Failure to Intervene on Travel Ban’s ‘Grandparent Ban’

Shayan Modarres, Legal Counsel for the National Iranian American Council, issued a statement last week after the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai‘i denied a challenge to the Trump administration’s narrow interpretation of who will be exempt from the Muslim ban.

“We regret that the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai‘i refused to clarify or limit which familial relationships are to be considered ‘bona fide’ or good faith relationships,” the statement reads. “Grandparents, uncles, aunts and other close family relatives will continue to be banned from seeing their relatives in the United States, labeled–under President Trump’s Muslim ban–as potential terrorists.”

Modarres says in the statement that this is an “outrageous and inhumane” interpretation by the Trump administration, and NIAC hopes common sense will ultimately prevail despite the court’s decision last week.

“There is palpable fear in the Iranian and Muslim community in the United States. The Supreme Court will hear the Muslim ban case this fall, and a ruling is looming,” she says in the statement.

Modarres also questioned the action, potentially setting a precedent for future constitutionally offensive executive orders. Communities, she says, are scared they will continue to be targeted for no reason other than their place of origin and religion.

“It is abundantly clear that we cannot rely on the courts to intervene in the place of our elected officials. We would not need to rely on judicial intervention if our elected representatives showed backbone to Trump and stepped up to protect their constituents and defend fundamental American principles,” Modarres says in the statement.

The National Iranian American Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the voice of Iranian Americans and promoting greater understanding between the American and Iranian people. They seek to accomplish their mission through expert research and analysis, civic and policy education, and community building.

Visit http://www.niacouncil.org for more information.