UPDATE - US top court backs Trump’s controversial travel ban

ADDS TRUMP CONFIRMATION ON INSTITUTING BAN IN GRAF 9

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday backed President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban, ruling the U.S. can prevent Muslims immigrants from entering the country.

Trump's effort to curtail immigration was dealt multiple judicial setback by federal appeals courts in Hawaii and Virginia, saying it is unconstitutional because it discriminates against Muslims.

Hawaii alleged that the restriction was motivated by religious discrimination, noting that a majority of the countries included in the ban have primarily Muslim populations.

The ruling in Virginia cited Trump's posts on Twitter and other public statements as evidence the intent behind the executive order, national security, as window dressing for its true motive.

In the narrow 5-4 opinion Tueday written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court found that Trump's restriction fell "squarely" within the president's authority, rejecting claims that the ban was motivated by religious hostility.

"The [order] is expressly premised on legitimate purposes: preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices," Roberts wrote. "The text says nothing about religion."

Trump expressed his satisfaction with the ruling.

"SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!," he said in a tweet.

He later told reporters at the White House he will "of course" begin to implement the ban.

As a candidate running for the White House, Trump pledged to enact "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on".

While in office, he has put out three separate attempts to fulfill the promise but has been dealt successive legal setbacks.

The immigration restriction is the Trump administration's third, and affects people from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Chad was dropped from the list of affected countries.

The latest version of the travel ban blocks people from seven countries -- five of which are Muslim-majority -- from U.S. entry. It bars immigration from, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen as well as North Korea and Venezuela.