WASHINGTON – Clearing the way for a vote on the floor of the House, the House Judiciary Committee today marked up the NO BAN Act, the bill introduced by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.) to repeal the President’s Muslim ban and prevent any baseless, discriminatory bans from happening in the future. Senator Coons and Rep. Chu issued the following statements:
“Today, the House took an important step toward ending the President’s discriminatory Muslim ban, which for three years has been a stain on our nation and our reputation around the world,”Senator Coons said. “Since this ban has been in effect, tens of thousands of American citizens have been senselessly separated – husbands and wives, parents and children, and ailing grandparents. This policy is family separation by another name, and it’s time that it end. I applaud the House Judiciary Committee for advancing this important bill today, and urge swift passage by the House of Representatives.”
“This is an historic day as the House comes closer than ever to repealing the cruel and discriminatory Muslim Ban,” said Rep. Chu. “Make no mistake, this ban is and always has been a Muslim Ban – just as the President promised it would be during his campaign. And it is completely unnecessary. America has one of the strongest vetting systems in the world and we have demonstrated an ability to safely grant visas to travelers and visitors for years. But security was always a flimsy pretext for Trump’s real goal of fomenting bigotry and dividing families, which is precisely what this ban has done. The effect of Trump’s Muslim Ban has been to leave America less safe and families suffering needless pain. That is why we introduced this legislation to not only repeal all of Trump’s Muslim Bans, but also to change the law so no future president can issue a similar ban without evidence. I am so pleased the House Judiciary Committee marked up and passed this important bill today and I look forward to a full vote on the floor in the coming weeks.”
The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act repeals all versions of President Trump’s Muslim ban, strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans. The legislation is supported by more than 250 members of both houses of Congress; more than 400 civil rights, faith, national security, and community organizations; more than 50 immigration law professors; 19 state attorneys general; and several private companies.
