Courts uphold Trump travel ban, may impact medical tourism

The Supreme Court has upheld President Donald Trump’s travel ban, but only on a 5-4 majority. This may end a nearly 18-month battle between the administration and opponents over who can enter the USA. This may have an impact on inbound medical tourism.

The decision allows the government to proceed with stricter rules against travellers from eight nations: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela and the Yemen.

In his majority opinion accompanying the decision, Chief Justice John Roberts said the court was ruling strictly on the ability of an American president to enact rules to address national security concerns, and that the court held no view on the soundness of the policy.

Overriding legal challenges that the rules were focusing on Muslims because of their religion, Roberts wrote that there was “persuasive evidence that the entry suspension has a legitimate grounding in national security concerns, quite apart from any religious hostility.”

The American tourism industry warns that unless an overt message welcoming legitimate international travellers to the United States accompanies any security steps aimed at terrorists and those who overstay their visas, then tourism numbers to the USA will fall.

Although the listed countries have few inbound medical tourists, people from South America, Africa, Asia and the Arab world may feel less inclined to go to the USA for medical treatment.