Dem: Administration not answering questions about travel ban

The ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday said the Trump administration is not answering questions about the travel ban scheduled to go into effect at 8 p.m. Thursday night.

“Just hours before the President’s unconstitutional and misguided travel ban takes partial effect tonight, administration officials briefing Congress were unwilling or unable to provide meaningful answers about how they determined whom the ban would affect, why the ban would apply to certain family members, including grandparents, or whether they will share implementation guidance,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement.

{mosads}The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that individuals who do not have a “bona fide” relationship with an entity or person in the United States can be blocked from entering the country.

The executive order, aimed at temporarily barring individuals from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, has been met with strong opposition from Democrats.

“This apparent lack of preparation and transparency does not inspire confidence that the Administration has learned its lesson after the chaos the first travel ban created at airports around the world in January,” Thompson said. 

“It is imperative that the Trump Administration avoid repeating past mistakes by immediately providing clear guidance to [the Department of Homeland Security] and State Department personnel, travel industry partners, and the public,” Thompson said. 

The White House on Thursday said it expects the roll out of the newly re-instated ban to go “smoothly.”