WASHINGTON - Jamal Abdi, Vice President of Policy at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), issued the following statement following today’s Supreme Court decision upholding Presidential Proclamation 9645, commonly referred to as Muslim Ban 3.0 in the case of Hawaii v. Trump: 

“The effort to end the Muslim Ban is far from over. We will do everything in our power to organize our community and collaborate with other communities to ensure that Trump’s shameful policy is repealed by Congress.

“The promise of a United States that is inclusive, diverse, tolerant, and free has been rendered hollow for millions of Muslims, Iranian Americans, and other impacted communities as a result of this outrageous decision. Having been failed by the President, the Congress, and now the Supreme Court, it is now up to the most powerful office in our democracy - the office of citizen - to rise to the occasion and elect representatives who have the political courage to repeal this policy that has cast a shadow over our nation.

“The Supreme Court has added Trump’s Muslim Ban to the list of American moral failures that future generations will lament. This travesty of justice is a far cry from the Supreme Court that struck down segregation and bans on same sex marriage. History will view this decision along with other outrageous decisions that upheld and solidified official government-sanctioned discrimination.”

“Donald Trump stared directly into a camera and boldly proclaimed that he would have a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States’. He then worked assiduously to enact that ban. Members of Congress, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and the future Vice President Mike Pence condemned issued full-throated rejections of a Muslim Ban or religious test on the campaign trail. However, when Donald Trump became President, spines weakened as the Republican Congress and establishment played defense for Trump’s bigotry.

“We have been betrayed by our elected officials. Rather than intervene and uphold their oaths to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, the Republican Congress has not held a single hearing on the Ban. Legislation to repeal and defund the Ban has been introduced and endorsed by nearly every Democrat in Congress but has been blocked by the Republican majority. The basic values and freedoms enshrined in America’s constitution have been reduced to the most vile of partisanship. Lawmakers of both parties have an obligation to protect their constituents against unconstitutional exercises of power. Instead, GOP lawmakers have run interference for the President to abuse his office and destroy our country’s bedrock values. 

“The only solution now is to elect a new Congress that will repeal Trump’s Muslim Ban and stand up to this President’s egregious abuses of power. Today’s disappointing Supreme Court decision will only deepen the convictions of Americans on the right side of history, and will only reinforce the resolve of NIAC and other grassroots civil rights organizations to continue fighting for this country’s sacred principles.”

This is not over.