Hawaii files court challenge as partial travel ban takes effect

On Thursday night, a watered-down version of President Trump's second travel ban went into effect at 8 p.m. ET, instantly triggering an emergency motion in Hawaii.

After several lower courts blocked Trump's original and follow-up bans, the Supreme Court on Monday approved a limited version of the ban, which affects citizens of Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran, and Yemen. The high court ruled that people from those countries who want to get visas need to have "bona fide relationships" inside the United States, and the State Department issued guidelines stating it considers "bona fide" relatives to be a parent, spouse, child, son- or daughter-in-law, and sibling. On Thursday night, fiancées were added to the list.

Hawaii filed an emergency motion Thursday night asking a federal judge to clarify that the ban cannot be enforced against relatives not included in the definition set forward by the State Department, like grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Immigration officials have been instructed to not block entrance to the United States of any travelers from those six countries who hold valid documents. Trump has claimed these steps are necessary to prevent terrorism.

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