NO BAN Act Coalition Says "Goodbye to the Muslim and African Ban"
WASHINGTON - Today, the NO BAN Act Coalition is celebrating the end of the Muslim and African Ban and calling on Congress to take the next step and prevent similar bans from being enacted again. The NO BAN Act Coalition is an alliance of national and local civil rights, faith and community groups who have been working tirelessly to support passage of the NO BAN Act, a landmark Muslim civil rights bill that is included in the U.S. Citizenship Act, the Biden administration’s day one immigration legislation. The NO BAN Act, introduced by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), was passed with a bipartisan majority in the House on July 22, 2020. The following is a joint statement from 81 organizational members of the coalition on the repeal of the Muslim and African Ban:
“Goodbye to the Muslim and African Ban. Almost four years ago, one of President Trump’s first acts in office was to ban Muslims from the United States. Three years later, he expanded the ban to include several African countries. Today, it’s fitting that one of Biden’s first acts is to rescind the Muslim and African Ban. This is a momentous occasion for the millions of Americans who were separated by the ban and those who stood up against this injustice at airports nationwide. Thank you, President Biden for staying true to your promise to repeal this bigoted policy immediately.
The Muslim and African Ban was never about national security, it was always rooted in bigotry and called into question what values America stands for. However, just ending the ban through an executive order won’t stop this from happening again. That’s why we applaud the historic inclusion of the NO BAN Act in the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.
The House of Representatives took the historic step of passing the NO BAN Act this past summer. It took years of work to break through the multiple barriers that stood in the way. Many members of Congress had never co-sponsored or voted for legislation to protect American Muslims from discrimination, the House of Representatives had never even held a hearing on the rights of American Muslims and no chamber of Congress had ever passed a Muslim civil rights bill.
But the NO BAN Act passed with a bipartisan majority because lifting this one ban is not enough. It’s vital that we ensure that no president ever again can ban people because of their faith or nationality. That’s why Congress must take this important next step and pass the NO BAN Act immediately.”
Signed,
Muslim Advocates
AFL-CIO
African Communities Together
America Indivisible
American Humanist Association
American Muslim Advisory Council
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Arab American Civic Council
Arab American Institute (AAI)
Asian Counseling and Referral Service
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Black Alliance for Just Immigration
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Center for American Progress
Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism-California State University, San Bernardino
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Church World Service
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible
Constitutional Accountability Center
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Emgage Action
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Foreign Policy for America
Forward as One
Foundation for Ethnic Understanding
Franciscan Action Network
Franciscan Sisters of the POOR
Free Press Action
Global Project Against Hate and Extremism
HIAS
Human Rights Campaign
ICNA CSJ
Immigration Hub
Interfaith Alliance
International Refugee Assistance Project
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Islamic Networks Group (ING)
Islamic Society of North America
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Voice for Peace
KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights
League of Women Voters of the United States
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
MAPS-AMEN (American Muslim Empowerment Network)
Media Alliance
MediaJustice
Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue
Motivation Motivates
MoveOn
Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees
Muslim Community Network
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Iranian American Council Action
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Religious Campaign Against Torture
New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good
Oakland Privacy
Oil Change U.S.
Only Through US
Peace Catalyst International
People For the American Way
Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)
Seattle Immigrant Rights Action Group
Service Employees International Union
Shoulder to Shoulder
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas - Justice Team
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
SPLC Action Fund
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Sikh Coalition
UltraViolet
Union for Reform Judaism
United Church of Christ
Wallingford Indivisible
Yemeni American Merchants Association
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Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination.