Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/17pdf/17-965_h315.pdf
Page Number: 60.0

4 

TRUMP v. HAWAII 

BREYER, J., dissenting 

ond  possibility,  i.e.,  that  the  Government  is  not  applying
the  Proclamation  as  written.  The  Proclamation  provides
that the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland 
Security  “shall coordinate to adopt guidance” for consular
officers to follow when deciding whether to grant a waiver. 
§3(c)(ii).  Yet,  to  my  knowledge,  no  guidance  has  issued. 
The  only  potentially  relevant  document  I  have  found 
consists  of  a  set  of  State  Department  answers  to  certain 
Frequently  Asked  Questions,  but  this  document  simply
restates the Proclamation in plain language for visa appli-
cants.  It does not provide guidance for consular officers as 
to  how  they  are  to  exercise  their  discretion.    See  Dept.  of
State,  FAQs  on  the  Presidential  Proclamation,  https://
travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-
resources/presidential-proclamation-archive/2017-12-04-
Presidential-Proclamation.html  (all  Internet  materials  as
last visited June 25, 2018). 

An  examination  of  publicly  available  statistics  also 
provides cause for concern.  The State Department reported 
that  during  the  Proclamation’s  first  month,  two  waivers
were  approved  out  of  6,555  eligible  applicants.    Letter 
from M. Waters, Assistant Secretary Legislative Affairs, to
Sen.  Van  Hollen  (Feb.  22,  2018).    In  its  reply  brief,  the
Government  claims  that  number  increased  from  2  to  430 
during  the  first  four  months  of  implementation.    Reply
Brief  17.  That  number,  430,  however,  when  compared
with the number of pre-Proclamation visitors, accounts for 
a miniscule percentage of those likely eligible for visas, in
such  categories  as  persons  requiring  medical  treatment,
academic  visitors,  students,  family  members,  and  others
belonging  to  groups  that,  when  considered  as  a  group
(rather than case by case), would not seem to pose security 
threats. 

Amici  have  suggested  that  there  are  numerous  appli-
cants  who  could  meet  the  waiver  criteria.    For  instance, 
the  Proclamation  anticipates  waivers  for  those  with  “sig-