President Trump’s immigration and electronics travel ban faced several challenges since it was first announced. So where do we stand now?

Immigration Travel Ban
The Supreme Court decided it will hear President Trump’s arguments regarding the travel ban affecting six Muslim-majority countries in October. In the meantime, the high court lifted many of the injunctions blocking the President’s ban, allowing it to take effect in several instances.

Following the court’s decisions, the Trump administration will, in most cases, be able to enforce its 90-day ban on travelers from Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Iraq and Libya. The administration said it will allow foreigners with “a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity” into the United States, but this did not include grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins.

Last week, though, Hawai’i District Judge Derrick Watson disagreed with the definition of “bona fide relationships,” and argued those restrictions should not be enforced. Watson also ordered exemptions for refugees given formal assurance from agencies placing them in the United States.

Electronic Device Travel Ban
On March 25, an electronics travel ban was instated that forbids nine airlines from allowing carry-on electronics on flights from Middle Eastern and North African airports to the United States.

On July 5, Turkish Airlines and Emirates announced they received permission to lift the in-cabin ban on laptops and other large electronic devices on U.S.-bound flights from Dubai and İstanbul. The announcement came three days after the ban was lifted on Etihad Airways’ flights to the United States from Abu Dhabi.

After the ban was lifted, Mr. M. İlker Aycı, chairman of the board and executive committee, Turkish Airlines, said, “During 102 days, 81,736 electronic devices were carefully collected from our passengers at gates by our staff and carried in overprotected baggage on 1,087 flights to the U.S. 75% of devices were laptops and tablets. 25% of devices consisted of cameras, GPS devices and e-books. I would like to express my gratitude to all my colleagues who carried out this operation with a sense of mission and sensibility.”

On July 6, Qatar Airways announced it was approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to permit passengers to carry personal electronic items on board U.S.-bound flights, departing from its hub Hamad International Airport in Doha.

“The security measures in place in Doha allow us to continue to provide our renowned world-class service for all our passengers travelling to the U.S.,” said Mr. Akbar Al Baker, chief executive, Qatar Airways.