April, 25 2018, 12:00am EDT
U.S. Supreme Court Begins Hearings On Trump's Muslim Ban
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on the third iteration of Trump's Muslim Ban.
Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement:
NEW YORK, NY
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on the third iteration of Trump's Muslim Ban.
Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement:
"Trump's latest attempt to discriminate against Muslims is fundamentally anti-American, and a blow against our freedoms of religion. We've beaten back Trump's repeated attempts to enshrine bigotry into policy, and every step of the way the courts have been with us. We will prevail in the Supreme Court of the United States of America."
Background
The NYIC has been leading the fight against the Muslim Ban since January, 2017 when the first Executive Order came out, with the #NoBanJFK movement, and assisting travelers from over 20 countries and organizing hundreds of lawyers and volunteers. The protests at JFK sparked actions across the nation, including a rally held in Battery Park the next day, which drew over 30,000 people. In July, the NYIC was back out at JFK to monitor the situation and provide legal assistance if necessary.
Watch the documentary: "48 Hours at JFK"
Trump's third iteration of the Muslim ban- which would seriously limited travel and emigration from Muslim-majority countries Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as, North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials- was issued on September 24th, 2017 and supposed to take effect October 18th, 2017. However, two federal judges issued temporary halts to the ban (preliminary injunctions), with the second judge issuing a 91-page ruling calling the ban an "inextricable re-animation of the twice-enjoined Muslim ban."
In December 2017, the US Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction that allowed full enforcement of Trump's ban on travel from eight nations, six of which are Muslim-majority, while legal challenges proceed through the lower courts.
The New York Immigration Coalition aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all. The NYIC promotes immigrants' full civic participation, fosters their leadership, and provides a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York's diverse immigrant communities.
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