01/25/2023
On 6th Anniversary of Muslim & African Bans, Reps. Chu and Civil Rights Orgs Call on President Biden to Reunite Harmed Families
Group will deliver petition calling on President Biden to provide immediate relief to thousands still harmed by the Bans
WASHINGTON, DC: Ahead of the 6th anniversary of the Muslim & African Bans that sparked worldwide condemnation, a broad coalition of civil rights groups, immigrant justice organizations, and Rep. Judy Chu will lead a press conference to mark the unconscionable and lasting harms of the Bans as a result of the Biden administration’s inaction.
Bearing posters with the photos and stories of just some of the countless children, siblings, and parents who are still separated from their loved ones, the group will speak at the House Triangle and then deliver a petition with more than 33,000 signatures to President Biden urging him to fulfill his promise to fully dismantle the racist and Islamophobic Bans and allow all individuals who were denied their fair shot at immigrating to the U.S.
When and Where: Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 12pm; House Triangle
Who:
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Reps. Judy Chu, Rashida Tlaib, Andre Carson, and Ilhan Omar
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No Muslim Ban Ever Coalition, including African Communities Together, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Civil Liberties Union, Council on American Islamic Relations, Emgage Action, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Public Affairs Council, National Immigration Law Center, and National Iranian American Council
Background:
On January 27, 2017, President Trump enacted the first Muslim Ban, banning people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Six years later, even after President Biden rescinded the Muslim & African Bans on his first day in office, thousands of people are still separated from their families and caught in a black hole of administration delays, with little information and no recourse to repair the damage. Many denied entry by the Bans spent all of their savings and sold family heirlooms to afford visa applications and related travel costs.
Omer Abdalla Hassan Mohamed, who currently lives in Sudan and is one of countless people caught in this horrific maze, explains: “The consular officer didn’t ask me many questions but just coldly told me that my application for a diversity visa was being rejected due to the Muslim Ban. I felt weak at my knees and the images of my mother, my family flashed in front of me. My mother tried her best to comfort me though I was inconsolable knowing that her last remaining jewelry was now gone forever. The hallowed American Dream. Instead, I remain a broken man.” See more stories from community members at https://twitter.com/
In August 2022, a federal court ruled that the Biden administration 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 protracted and unconscionable refusal to redress these lasting harms have only served to uphold the Trump administration’s original racist and Islamophobic Bans, which President Biden once called a “stain on our national conscience.”
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Contact
Emily Churchill
National Director of Communications, Emgage