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House Passes the NO BAN Act
Posted on Jul 22 2020
July 22, 2020 – Today, the United States House of Representatives passed (233-183) the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act (NO BAN) Act. The legislation immediately repeals President Trump’s Muslim and Africa travel bans. It also limits the President’s authority to suspend or restrict non-U.S. citizens from entering the United States in the future.
On Thursday, July 23, at 11:30 a.m. the Minnesota No Ban Coalition will hold a press conference at the CAIR offices at 2511 E. Franklin Ave #100, Minneapolis, MN 55406. Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) executive director Veena Iyer, among others, will speak at this press conference.
“We are one step closer to justice for the thousands of people whose lives the bans disrupted,” said Iyer. “These communities want what everyone wants: freedom to proudly express our identities, including our faith, without fear of discrimination. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) already prohibits the discrimination with respect to visa applications on the basis of ‘race, sex, nationality, place of birth and place of residence.’ The NO BAN Act necessarily expands those protections to religious groups as well. Travel bans like the Muslim and African bans institutionalize religious and racial profiling and open the door to other policies that discriminate on the basis of faith, race, sexuality, immigration status, and national origin.”
The NO BAN Act states that any future travel ban must be temporary and based on credible evidence. The President and Department of State would have to prove that a travel ban is necessary to advance a compelling government interest in response to specific threats to the United States from foreign entities. They would also have to show that a ban is the least restrictive way possible to achieve that end. Future travel bans would be subject to congressional oversight.
“The NO BAN Act will now make its way to the U.S. Senate” said Iyer. “The Senate must pass the NO BAN Act and ensure that people applying for visas are protected from discrimination.”
For a PDF printable version of this press release click here.