US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to Introduce Bill to End Trump’s Muslim Ban
"I ran on a promise to end the President's hateful Muslim ban," Omar said in a tweet on Tuesday. "And tomorrow we will introduce a bill [to] do just that."
"No one should be denied basic rights because of their religion, race or national origin," Omar said.
Called the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act, or "No Ban Act," for short, the civil rights bill seeks to put an end to the Trump administration's travel ban, which targets several majority-Muslim countries—including Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya and Somalia—with limited sanctions also imposed against North Korea and Venezuela.
Trump initially signed Executive Order 13769 on January 27, 2017, which sought to ban entry to the US to foreign nationals from a number of Muslim-majority countries, following repeated calls on the 2016 campaign trail to ban all Muslims from being allowed into the US.
While the executive order, as well as subsequent versions, were shot down by multiple courts, the Trump administration saw success with a third version of the ban, which the Supreme Court upheld in June 2018.
According to data from the State Department, as many as 37,000 visas were denied in 2018 alone following the ban, up from 1,000 the previous year.
With the ban predominantly affecting majority-Muslim countries, rights groups have argued that the travel ban is discriminatory towards Muslims, with many opting to call it a "Muslim ban" instead of its official title.
So far, nearly 400 civil rights, faith, national security and community organizations have announced their support for the No Ban Act, according to national civil rights organization Muslim Advocates.
The coalition, which includes the NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, The Truman Project and United We Dream, sent a joint letter to Congress endorsing the bill ahead of its bicameral introduction on Wednesday by Omar and fellow Democrats Senator Chris Coons and Representative Judy Chu.
In their letter, the organizations write of how "two years since the first Muslim Ban was issued, countless families remain separated with heartbreaking consequences."
"People have been denied access to lifesaving medical treatments; parents have been unable to care for their children; and spouses have been forced to live apart as they await decisions on their waiver applications [to be excluded from the ban]," they said. "Some have been denied the opportunity to attend funerals or visit dying family members, and accomplished professionals and students have been denied access to career and educational opportunities."
Calling on Congressmembers to support the No Ban Act, the letter states that the legislation "is a clear and unequivocal response to the Muslim Ban that would ensure no one can be banned from our country based on religious or nationality-based discrimination ever again."
"Regrettably, the Muslim Ban validates the worst stereotypes about Muslims; that they are inherently foreign and violent and pose such a threat to the United States they should be banned," the letter says. "The ban on Muslims comes after generations of politicians hostile to religious minorities have attempted to ban Jews, Catholics, and Latter-day Saints."
"Congress now has an opportunity to take action against the Muslim Ban and this troubling history by sending a strong message that our nation rejects religious bigotry," the letter continues. "We urge you to support this important legislation because your leadership on this issue is critical to ensuring that Congress sends a strong message to the American people that how someone prays should not dictate whether the government can ban them from coming to the United States.
"Families should not be separated simply based on their faith or nationality. These are our shared values," it adds. "It is time for Congress to act to overturn the Muslim Ban and stand against religious discrimination."
Source: Newsweek
Most Commented 