The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said that all members of Congress should sponsor the NO BAN Act and that courts should take notice after the official White House rapid response account promoted a 96 percent reduction in legal immigration from Muslim-majority nations.
CAIR noted that the explicitly anti-Muslim language undermines the Trump administration’s longstanding denials of discriminatory intent in litigation surrounding immigration restrictions.
The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account posted: “Legal Immigration from Majority-Muslim Nations Was Cut 96% Since 2024.” The post highlights a Cato Institute analysis finding that monthly immigrant visa issuances and refugee admissions for nationals of 45 Muslim-majority countries fell from 21,096 in December 2024 to 808 in February 2026. These figures measure nationality, rather than each individual’s religion.
CAIR said the White House’s decision to promote this reduction specifically by reference to the Muslim population confirms the discriminatory goals behind the administration’s escalating travel bans and restrictions on lawful immigration, including the expanded Muslim and African travel ban that took effect January 1, 2026.
SEE: CAIR Condemns Expanded Muslim and African Travel Ban Targeting American Families and Palestinians
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“By openly celebrating the exclusion of legal immigrants from Muslim-majority nations, the White House is admitting the bigoted motivation behind its immigration decisions despite years of denials under oath in courtroom litigation.
“During the first and current Trump administration, government lawyers have denied the discriminatory purpose of the Muslim and African travel bans. The administration cannot continue to credibly claim religious neutrality while presenting exclusion associated with Muslim nations as a measure of success.
“Behind these numbers are spouses separated from their partners, children separated from their parents, and refugees seeking safety. These are human beings pursuing lawful immigration pathways. Their faith and national origin should never make them targets of collective punishment.
“Congress must investigate the implementation and consequences of these restrictions, demand the underlying decision-making records, and advance the NO BAN Act. Courts reviewing the legality of the administration’s immigration policies should consider this official statement and reevaluate whether anti-Muslim animus has unconstitutionally motivated those policies.”
CAIR said the latest White House post must be understood against the administration’s continuing restrictions on lawful immigration, family reunification, asylum and political expression. Working backward from its most recent statements, CAIR highlighted the following:
- September 2026: New barriers to legal immigration and warrantless arrests: CAIR-California issued guidance on a new public charge rule taking effect September 18 that could affect visa and green card applicants. That same day, CAIR-CA welcomed a federal injunction limiting certain warrantless immigration arrests in Southern California and condemned the administration’s practice of detaining people before justifying their arrest.
- August 2026: Immigration enforcement used against protected speech: On August 29, CAIR welcomed a federal ruling protecting noncitizen students from immigration retaliation for constitutionally protected expression, including criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights.
- June 2026: Immigration application freezes affecting 39 countries: On June 5, CAIR welcomed a federal ruling striking down an administration policy that effectively froze asylum, work permit, green card and citizenship applications for people from 39 countries, many of them Muslim-majority nations. CAIR urged compliance with the ruling and restoration of normal processing.
- January 2026: Suspension of immigrant visas for 75 countries: CAIR condemned the announced suspension of immigrant visa processing, effective January 21, emphasizing its separation of American families and disproportionate harm to communities of color, including people from Muslim-majority nations. The State Department subsequently reported that the pause ended August 21 under a court order.
- January 2026: Expanded Muslim and African travel ban: Effective January 1, the administration expanded its travel restrictions to 39 countries and people using Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed travel documents. The expansion added Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria to the fully restricted list, moved Laos and Sierra Leone from partial to full restrictions, and eliminated categorical exemptions for immediate family members of U.S. citizens. CAIR condemned the expansion when it was announced in December, emphasizing its collective punishment of Muslim, African and Black communities and its separation of American families.
- December 2025: Nationwide asylum freeze and renewed scrutiny: CAIR condemned a USCIS directive freezing pending asylum applications nationwide, halting immigration applications for nationals of 19 targeted countries, and ordering renewed scrutiny of previously approved immigration benefits. CAIR called for congressional investigation and passage of the NO BAN Act.
- June 2025: Restoration of the travel ban: CAIR condemned renewed restrictions on 19 countries and warned that vague ideological screening could be abused to exclude immigrants because of their religious identity or political activism.
CAIR’s opposition dates to January 30, 2017, when it filed Sarsour v. Trump, among the first lawsuits challenging the original Muslim ban.
The administration’s denials are documented in its own statements. In a January 29, 2017, White House statement, Trump insisted that the policy was not about religion. In its 2018 Supreme Court brief in Trump v. Hawaii, the administration argued that the proclamation was religion-neutral and did not target people based on their religion. CAIR said the White House’s latest religious framing exposes the discriminatory agenda it has challenged throughout both administrations and severely undermines those longstanding defenses.
CAIR called on the administration to abandon discriminatory immigration restrictions, comply with court orders, and restore fair, individualized processing of affected immigration applications.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]