The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), along with other civil rights advocacy and immigrant-serving organizations and community members, yesterday gathered at the Los Angeles International Airport to protest President Donald Trump’s new expanded travel ban targeting 19 primarily Muslim-majority, African, and Caribbean countries.
WATCH: ABC7: CAIR-LA, Partners Protest Trump’s New Expanded Travel Ban at LAX
The ban, which was signed by President Trump on Wednesday, June 4, and went into effect early yesterday morning, fully suspends immigration and nonimmigration visas for citizens of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen who do not already have legal status in the U.S. and who do not fall into any of the other exceptions and exemptions mentioned in the proclamation.
The ban also imposes partial restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
CAIR-LA was joined by Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), AAPI Equity Alliance, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), Black Lives Matter Grassroots, California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC), the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Human Rights First, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Muslim Arc, the National Asian Pacific American Families Allied for Substance Awareness & Harm Reduction (NAPAFASA), the National Immigration Law Center, the No Muslim Ban Coalition, the South Asian Network, and VietRISE.
CAIR-LA previously condemned the ban, calling it “unnecessary, overbroad, and ideologically motivated.”
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“Trump’s expanded travel ban is not only a cruel attack on immigrants and their families, but also an attack on our shared humanity and on the principles of justice and equality. It scapegoats entire countries, regions, and communities based on their religious, racial, or national identity. We are here to protest against injustice and demand an end to this racist and xenophobic policy. As a country, it is our duty to not only respect each other but to protect the dignity and humanity of all people.”
In a statement, CIPC Executive Director Masih Fouladi said:
“As an Iranian immigrant and a Muslim, I am outraged by the Trump administration’s new Muslim and African ban. This ban, like its previous iterations, is rooted in xenophobia and meant to create fear and division. And just like his immigration enforcement actions that are causing chaos in the streets of Los Angeles, this ban will separate families and destroy the foundation of California and the United States, which is strong because of the contributions of immigrant communities.
“We will fight back against this ban, against ICE activity in our communities, and against the federal government’s attempts to deprive immigrants of healthcare. All of these discriminatory policies from the Trump administration are connected.”
In a statement, BAJI Executive Director Nana Gyamfi said:
“This ban is anti-Black, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, and anti-human. It targets African and Caribbean nations under the false pretense of national security, but we know what it really is—xenophobia in policy form. BAJI is here to say: we see it, we name it, and we will fight it.
“This ain’t about security. It’s about racism—plain and simple. Trump’s latest travel ban is a cruel political stunt designed to shut the door on Black and Brown people from countries the U.S. has exploited, destabilized, and attempted to destroy. We’ve seen this before. Now it’s back under Trump 2.0, broader and just as deadly. It’s not just policy—it’s violence. This is about erasing Black immigrants and criminalizing our very existence. We won’t be silent, and we won’t back down.”
In a statement, AJSOCAL Vice President of Programs Ronnette Ramos, Esq., said:
“The federal government says the travel ban and these raids are about public safety. Let me be clear: these attacks are not making us safer. They are racially targeted, cruel, and unjust. In recent months, we’ve seen Southeast Asians detained after decades in the U.S. We’ve seen Asian American immigrants deported to places they’ve never known—flown off to Latin America and Africa. We’ve seen survivors of domestic violence too afraid to go to court—because ICE is waiting in our courthouses. That is not justice. That is fear. AJSOCAL stands with Latinx, Black, AMEMSA, and all immigrant communities. We demand dignity, not detention. We will rise together.”
On Sunday, June 8, CAIR’s National office hosted a community webinar about who is affected by the ban, what exceptions apply, and how impacted community members can protect themselves and their families.
If you are impacted by the travel ban or need other immigration legal assistance, click here to contact CAIR-LA’s Immigrants’ Rights Center.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com