July 22, 2020

On July 22, 2020, we witnessed history as the House passed the NO BAN Act, a refutation of the Trump administration’s racist and xenophobic immigration restrictions which imposes strict limits on the ability of any future president to pass discriminatory immigration restrictions. The Muslim Ban has caused myriad complications and heartbreaks for Muslims in America, while the Africa Ban from earlier this year compounded the issue for our communities and those of other disempowered and underrepresented groups. The NO BAN Act would outright prohibit any future president from using religious discrimination as a basis for restricting immigration.

The collective decision by the House to reject this administration’s racism and xenophobia is commendable. This is the first expressly Muslim civil rights act in our nation’s long and often harsh history. We fought for this day to come when President Trump first announced his intentions to enact a ban “on all Muslims” during his presidential campaign. Today would not have been possible were it not for our allies in Congress, including most notably Congresswoman Judy Chu, our many allies in civil society, and the broader American Muslim community who has historically stood up against bigotry in all of its forms. Through these collective efforts we were able to lobby for the inclusion of vital language in the bill and get it to the House floor for a vote. We were also able to keep the pressure on Congress to consider this bill after their attention turned to COVID-19 response. Now, our collective efforts have paid off. 

Now the bill will travel to the Senate. Since the Senate is controlled by the GOP, it will likely be rejected there. However, hope for the repeal of the Muslim Ban and complete passage of the NO BAN Act looms over the horizon this November, in the form of the potential presidency of former Vice President Joe Biden. VP Biden has already committed to repealing the Muslim Ban were he to assume office. It is our job to seek legislative pathways to protecting and serving the American Muslim community, and electing VP Biden is the pathway of least resistance in this regard. 

We will celebrate the moment today brings and continue to do the work necessary to pass the NO BAN Act through Congress. This November, we hope you will do the same.