No Muslim Ban Ever Coalition welcomes reintroduction of the NO BAN Act
The No Muslim Ban Ever campaign, a coalition of more than one hundred progressive, faith, immigrant, and civil and human rights groups, welcomed the introduction of the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act today by Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Sen. Chris Coons (DE). The NO BAN Act would strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion and restore checks and balances by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans. Member organizations of the No Muslim Ban Ever coalition released the following statements:
“Donald Trump's Muslim Ban was a stain on America’s conscience and President Biden’s Executive Order rescinding the various versions of the ban was an important first step,” said Yasmine Taeb, Legislative and Political Director at MPower Change Action Fund. “During the campaign trail, Trump vowed not only to reinstate the Muslim Ban but to expand it and has made good on that promise by previewing a travel ban on his first day back in office. To ensure our communities do not face the threat of family separation, xenophobia, and Islamophobia through the implementation of another unconstitutional and unconscionable ban by Trump, Congress needs to take action and pass the NO BAN Act. We’re grateful for the leadership of Representative Chu and Senator Coons in reintroducing the NO BAN Act and urge Congress to pass the bill swiftly.”
“As President Trump fulfills his racist campaign promises by banning refugees, attempting to block asylum, and preparing new bans on people who come to the U.S. from African, Muslim-majority, or other countries, we welcome the timely reintroduction of an essential policy rooted in the highest American aspirations of equality, religious freedom, and refuge from tyrannical leaders,” said Sumayyah Waheed, Senior Policy Counsel, Muslim Advocates. “With the reintroduction of the NO BAN Act, we hope to check discriminatory and cruel abuses of presidential power at our borders. We remember clearly the hate, chaos, and family separation resulting from President Trump’s first-term Muslim and African bans—effects that remain unresolved to this day. Meanwhile, people seeking safety at our borders are forced to face unlawful, dehumanizing, debilitating, and even lethal barriers to doing so. We thank Rep. Chu and Sen. Coons for their leadership and urge Members in both houses to swiftly pass this bill.”
“Trump’s discriminatory Muslim and African bans inflicted unthinkable cruelty and separated families. The policy was met with widespread resistance, with thousands of people making their voices heard in protests at airports across the country. With Trump’s return to office and his day-one executive order signaling another forthcoming ban, we must all do everything in our power to ensure these harmful bans do not return. We commend Senator Coons’ and Representative Chu’s leadership on this issue and call on Congress to pass the NO BAN Act today to protect communities from lasting harm.” - Raha Wala, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy at the National Immigration Law Center
“The Muslim Ban’s devastating impact has left its mark on thousands in immigrant communities who are still separated from their families. With Trump threatening to reinstate and expand the Muslim Ban, we welcome the reintroduction of the NO Ban Act and urge Congress to pass this bill without delay, as a necessary safeguard against future abuses of executive power,” said Kanwalroop Singh, staff attorney at the Asian Law Caucus. “We refuse to let politicians like Trump define who we are and what we can do. Just as we fought for an end to this nightmare for tens of thousands of community members who were denied visas because of their faith or race, we will keep fighting for a future where all of our families are together and live freely.”
"The Muslim Ban was a cruel and discriminatory policy that separated families, legitimized anti-Muslim hate, and denied people their basic rights based solely on their faith and national origin," said Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area. "Its legacy of pain persists, and the threat of its resurgence is a stark reminder of the work still needed. The NO BAN Act is essential to safeguarding our communities from such targeted discrimination and upholding the principles of religious freedom and equal protection under the law. We thank Representative Chu and Senator Coons for their leadership in introducing this critical legislation, and we urge Congress to swiftly pass it."