'Deeply Disappointed': Ellison, CAIR React To SCOTUS Upholding Travel Ban
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of Minnesotans say the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the travel ban gives legitimacy to discrimination.
In his words, President Donald Trump hailed the ruling a "moment of profound vindication." He campaigned on a promise to impose a ban on Muslims entering the country to combat terrorism.
The 5-4 decision limits people from seven countries from entering the U.S. -- Venezuela, Libya, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Somalia and North Korea.
In five of those countries, a majority of the population is Muslim.
The travel ban went into effect in December and will now remain in place. The decision was carried by the more conservative justices who ruled the president has the broad authority to make national security decisions.
Two dissenting justices said the court failed to address key issues of discrimination.
In Minnesota, civil rights, immigration and religious groups condemned the ruling. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called it racist. It said the president's travel ban is actually still a "Muslim ban" that will directly affect thousands of Minnesota Muslims and their families.
CAIR-MN's executive director Jaylani Hussein said the organization expects to see another uptick in anti-Muslim bias crimes in the country and in the state of Minnesota.
"People's expressions of hate (are) being validated by the Supreme Court's decision today," Hussein said.
The Court said presidents have broad powers over who is allowed to enter the U.S. Trump could even add more countries to the ban.
This policy has been in place since December while the Supreme Court reviewed it. It's clear it has dramatically slowed down the number of people from those countries who are able to even get visas to the U.S.
Nation's First Elected Muslim Congressperson Reacts
Rep. Keith Ellison released a statement, saying he's "deeply disappointed that this ruling gives legitimacy to discrimination and Islamophobia."
Ellison spoke with WCCO's Esme Murphy on Facebook Live shortly after the decision.
"This decision is outside of the consensus that we have as Americans that people have the right to be whatever faith they want to be," Ellison said.
Ellison says, despite what the policy is called, it's really a Muslim ban.
"What the Supreme Court has said is, 'as long as you put a thin vainer of national security over the most discriminatory policy, we'll buy it,'" Ellison said. "Essentially they've said, 'as long as you put lipstick on that pig, we'll just call it something else.'"
Ellison says the travel ban is a big factor in his recent decision to run as Attorney General for Minnesota.
"I know that this decision will meet the dust bin of history, just like all those other nasty, ugly decisions [by the Supreme Court]," Ellison said.
