Emory University, along with 30 other universities, filed an amicus brief Sept. 18 against President Donald J. Trump’s executive order banning people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
The brief, submitted to the Supreme Court, states that Emory “welcomes a diversity of ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, religious, national and international backgrounds, believing that the intellectual and social energy that results from such diversity is critical to advancing knowledge.”
Of Emory’s 944 full-time research staff, 34 percent are nonresident aliens, according to the brief. The University also hosts 40 faculty members and scholars from the six affected countries, which are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, the brief said.
“The international members of amici’s communities contribute to the vibrant campus life, world-class educational offerings and research discoveries for which amici are known,” the brief said. “These individuals’ contributions redound to the benefit of all members of amici’s campus communities, the U.S. and the world.”
As the Supreme Court prepares to listen to arguments Oct. 10 on whether Trump exceeded his constitutional authority in issuing the travel ban, Trump issued Sunday a new executive order barring travel to the United States from seven countries, according to The New York Times. Some people from Iraq and Venezuela will also face travel restrictions, the Times said.
The ban will go into effect next month, and prevent most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea from entering the U.S., according to the Times. The restrictions will remain in place for an indefinite amount of time, according to the Times.
“Making America Safe is my number one priority. We will not admit those into our country we cannot safely vet,” Trump tweeted Sept. 24.
The Supreme Court, according to The New York Times, allowed the Trump’s revised travel ban to take effect with some significant restrictions in June, before the justices decided on the case in October. Travelers from the six Muslim-majority countries who who could not prove a “bona fide” relationship to the U.S. (having a close relative in the U.S., being student in an American university or having a job offer) were not permitted to enter the country.
