Diana Konate of African Communities Together related that the impacts of the ban have been ongoing and life-altering for thousands of families
According to Ilhan Omar (D-MN), in issuing his executive order, Donald Trump did not just violate the Constitution and subject thousands of refugees and immigrants to danger in their home countries
This “cruel order” limiting people from entering the United States was plainly “rooted in prejudice and caused a great deal of pain to families who…went through the legal vetting process to earn a chance at a better future,” said Rep Judy Chu (D-CA) who introduced her No Ban Act which successfully passed the House of Representatives on March 21, 2021
While welcoming President Biden’s revoking of the Muslim Ban on his first day in office, CAIR believes the Biden administration “needs to do better in holistically addressing the damage done by the Muslim and African bans,” Robert McCaw, national government affairs director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, stated
Rights Groups Urge President Biden to Assist Victims of Trump Muslim Ban
By Elaine Pasquini
Photos by Phil Pasquini
Washington: On the sixth anniversary of the Muslim Ban enacted through an executive order by then-US president Donald J. Trump, American legislators and leading civil rights and immigrant justice organizations held a press conference outside the US Capitol urging President Joe Biden to provide immediate relief to the victims of the Trump Muslim Ban.
On January 27, 2017, President Trump enacted the first Muslim ban prohibiting people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US. The ban was later expanded to include six predominantly Muslim countries in Africa. Now, even after President Biden rescinded the Muslim and African bans on his first day in office, thousands are still separated from their families.
This “cruel order” limiting people from entering the United States was plainly “rooted in prejudice and caused a great deal of pain to families who…went through the legal vetting process to earn a chance at a better future,” said Rep Judy Chu (D-CA) who introduced her No Ban Act which successfully passed the House of Representatives on March 21, 2021. “I am proud that the No Ban Act made history as the first-ever civil rights bill specifically protecting Muslim Americans and that it passed the House.”
“We all must continue to reject hateful rhetoric and policies that seek to divide us based on our religion, ethnicity, skin color or who we even love,” said Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). “I am incredibly proud that President Biden repealed this hateful Muslim and African ban as one of his first actions. But we have to do more to combat racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and hateful policies. I call on my colleagues [in the Senate] to pass the No Ban Act which would prevent any policy like this from ever being implemented again.”
According to Ilhan Omar (D-MN), in issuing his executive order, Donald Trump did not just violate the Constitution and subject thousands of refugees and immigrants to danger in their home countries, he “fanned the flames of hate and made all American Muslims feel like we were supposed to be powerless.”
Although the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the No Ban Act, the Senate has not done the same. On May 27, 2021, Sen Chris Coons (D-DE) re-introduced S. Res. 1891 which was originally introduced in 2017 as a direct response to President Trump’s Muslim Ban. If passed, this resolution would prevent future Muslim bans by strengthening the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion and restore the separation of powers by ensuring that any future travel bans are narrowly tailored and follow appropriate consultation with Congress.
Diana Konate of African Communities Together related that the impacts of the ban have been ongoing and life-altering for thousands of families. The ban has been especially devastating for Diversity Visa Lottery winners. Given the nature of the program and its statutory deadlines, most have lost their chance of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she said.
Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, urged the United States to stand in solidarity with the people inside Iran demonstrating for freedom by expediting refugee processing and providing visas to individuals who are under threat. “We hope the White House and Congress act immediately before it is too late,” he added.
Andre Carson (D-IN) noted that while the Trump administration’s ban may not be in place today, its impact remains. “Hate crimes persist, fear of the Muslim community is still present and former President Trump relied on fear as a weapon,” he pointed out. “Trump tried to make this an issue of national security, but the truth is the real threats to our nation are dangerous rhetoric, actions taken to ban Muslims from traveling and inaction when it comes to protecting our brothers and sisters. We have so much work to do…and we’re going to keep fighting to keep our country safe for all Americans.”
Syrian American Isra Chaker of the American Civil Liberties Union spoke of being torn away from her family six years ago when President Trump issued his Muslim Ban, thus preventing her family members from attending her wedding and the birth of her first child. “I continue to see the impact and pain that this executive order has caused that we are trying to remedy through legislation,” she said. “Thousands are still separated from their families in a black hole of administration delays with little information and no recourse to repair this damage.”
While welcoming President Biden’s revoking of the Muslim Ban on his first day in office, CAIR believes the Biden administration “needs to do better in holistically addressing the damage done by the Muslim and African bans,” Robert McCaw, national government affairs director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, stated.
In August 2022, as a result of a lawsuit brought by the National Immigration Law Center, a federal court ruled that the Biden administration must establish a fair and effective process to reopen and reconsider applications from people who were denied an opportunity to reunite with their families, begin careers, take up study, or seek medical treatment because of the Bans, McCaw reminded the reporters gathered outside the Capitol.
“Thankfully, today, with the delivery of the petition with more than 33,000 signatures to President Biden…urging his administration to do right by individuals who were denied their chance at immigrating to the United States, we hope to make it clear to the world once and for all that America is a nation that welcomes immigrants and that we are a land of opportunity for all of those who would dream of coming to our shores.”
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
