The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the third version of President Donald Trump’s so-called Muslim ban is legal.
The ripple effect will reach the refugee community here in Arizona.
The Supreme Court divided on whether the travel ban is rooted in national security concerns, or hostility toward religion. National security won, five justices to four.
The dissent argued the government is not applying built-in waivers for groups like refugees, and that suggests there may be religious bias.
Refugees brought here from countries like Syria want to reunite with family, said Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Arizona.
“People who are sort of stuck in that process now. Are they going to be split up? That’s a real question,” Siddiqi said.
State records show more than 1,000 Syrian refugees came to Arizona in fiscal years 2016 and 2017, but none have been sent to the state so far this year.
