Grandparents and other relatives cannot be barred from entering the United States under President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban, a US judge ruled on Thursday, Reuters reported on Friday. US District Judge Derrick Watson of Honolulu harshly criticised the government’s definition of close family relations as “the antithesis of common sense,” in his ruling.
“Common sense, for instance, dictates that close family members be defined to include grandparents,” Watson said. “Indeed, grandparents are the epitome of close family members.” The US Justice Department refused to comment on the ruling.
The state of Hawaii had asked Watson to narrowly interpret a US Supreme Court ruling which partly reinstated Trump’s travel ban. On Thursday, Neal Katyal, an attorney for Hawaii, called the ruling a “sweeping victory.”
The US Supreme Court had let the ban on travel from the six countries go forward with a limited scope, saying it could not apply to anyone with a credible “bona fide relationship” with a US person. The Trump administration then modified its order to allow spouses, parents, children, fiancés and siblings of US persons to enter the country.
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