Christian legal group backs Trump's travel ban: warns of terror threat to America

People walk out after the US Supreme Court granted parts of the Trump administration's emergency request to put his travel ban into effect immediately while the legal battle continues, in Washington, US, June 26, 2017.Reuters

A conservative Christian legal advocacy group has announced its support of Donald Trump's travel ban, which was yesterday partially reinstated by the US Supreme Court. The group highlighted the need to combat foreign terror threats.

The Foundation for Moral Law, a legal group advocating for protection of Christian values and the US Constitution, today announced its plans to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, backing Trump's travel ban.

John Eidsmoe, the senior counsel of the Montogmery-based group, said in a statement: 'As Christians, we recognize that the Bible commands us to be kind to "the sojourner within our gates". But this assumes the "sojourner" is here legally and is not a threat to innocent Americans. The main duty of a government is to protect its own people.'

The president's controversial legislation bars immigrants from six majority-Muslim countries as a protection from potential terror threats, for 90 days. After it was blocked by two federal courts, the Supreme Court yesterday reinstated Trump's ban, with the proviso that immigrants could enter the US if they could prove a 'bona fide' connection with a US citizen. The cases will be properly heard by the court in October.

The foundation's president, Kayla Moore, explained the groups support of the ban.

'Under our immigration laws, the President has statutory discretion to suspend the entry of foreigners who pose a danger to the United States. The Foundation wants to ensure that the President is free to exercise that authority without inappropriate second-guessing from the courts,' she said.

Eidsmoe rejected the suggestion that the ban is Islamophobic.

'The temporary travel ban is not directed against persons of the Islamic faith; in fact, 85-90 per cent of Muslims worldwide are not affected by this ban. The ban is directed against those countries where the greatest threat of terrorism exists,' he said.