Milwaukee reacts to Trump travel ban

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the Trump Administration has the authority to enforce a travel ban for national security reasons, but people at the Baitul Qadur Mosque in Milwaukee say it's difficult to ignore the president's previous comments about Muslims. 

"Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," Donald Trump said while on his campaign trail. 

Milwaukee Ahmadiyya Muslim community spokesperson Rizwan Ahmad says he doesn’t forget those comments when he thinks of the travel ban.

“Being that most of the countries on the list are predominantly Muslim countries, I can only judge for what’s at face value there,” Ahmad said.

But Chief Justice John Roberts says the case isn’t about past statements, it’s about if the president’s directive, which didn’t mention religion, is within his constitutional authority.

“The Supreme Court has traditionally upheld broad powers and given the president a lot of deference on issues of national security, ” said Philip Rocco, Marquette Assistant Political Science Professor. 

The court ultimately ruled 5-4 that the policy had a national security basis, not a religious one.

Ahmad says he’s focused on lobbying for change.

“We just keep trying to do our work on that angle there, where we can help change minds,” 

And finding ways to help the refugees.

“We’ve got people who are literally running for their lives and are refugees, and are trying to seek a safe place to live in the world."

The court approved full enforcement of the travel ban in December, so practically, very little immediately changed with the ruling.