(Washington, D.C., 4/28/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on elected officials in both parties to condemn and reject any effort to reinstate the Muslim Ban, a travel ban on numerous Muslim-majority countries that was implemented during the Trump Administration and repealed by President Biden.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“The Muslim Ban was a baseless act of bigotry that that robbed promising students of their educational opportunities, forced refugees eligible for asylum to perish in war zones, divided parents from their sick children, and reinforced anti-Muslim extremism at the highest level of power, among many other harms.
“We call on elected officials and other policymakers to oppose any effort to renew the Muslim Ban or any other policy that would unjustly deny individuals the right to travel based solely on their religious beliefs or nationality. Such actions are discriminatory and contradict the values our nation should uphold.”
[NOTE: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CAIR does not endorse or oppose any political candidate or political party, or comment on political campaigns.]
On January 27, 2017, President Trump enacted the first Muslim Ban, banning people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
On January 30, 2017, CAIR filed one of the first challenges to the unconstitutional Muslim Ban, Sarsour v. Trump, just days after the Trump Administration issued its first Muslim Ban executive order. This was possibly the broadest challenge to the Muslim Ban and was launched within 3 days of the President’s signing of the order.
SEE: CAIR Files Federal Suit Challenging Constitutionality of Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban’ Executive Order
On January 21, 2021, President Joe Biden terminated — on his first day in office — the Trump administration’s discriminatory Muslim and African Bans. While CAIR commended President Biden for immediately moving to repeal the Muslim and African Bans, thousands still remain separated from their families and caught in administrative delays, with little information and no recourse to repair the damage. Many of those denied entry by the Bans spent all of their savings and sold family heirlooms to afford visa applications and related travel costs.
In August 2022, a federal court ruled that President Biden must establish a fair and effective process to reopen and reconsider applications from people who were denied an opportunity to reunite with their families, begin careers or take up study, or seek medical treatment because of the Bans. The Biden administration’s delay in redressing these lasting harms have only served to prolong the Trump administration’s original racist and Islamophobic Bans, which President Biden has called a “stain on our national conscience.”
On January 26, 2023, the day before of the 6th anniversary of the Muslim and African Bans, CAIR joined a broad coalition of civil and human rights groups, immigrant justice organizations, Reps. Judy Chu, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Andre Carson marked the unconscionable and lasting harms of these bans.
For more information about how CAIR has fought against the Muslim and African travel bans, click here:
Fighting the unconstitutional ‘Muslim Ban’ (cair.com)
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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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]