Block On Muslim Ban Stands
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Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco affirmed the injunction on President Trump's "Muslim Ban 2.0" executive order. Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice), an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, applauds this decision and remains vigilant on this case.
Advancing Justice and the Korematsu Center were among the organizations that filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief last month with the Ninth Circuit on the government's attempt to remove a block placed on President Trump's Muslim ban by a federal judge in Maryland.
Advancing Justice released a statement following the court's ruling:
"Today we are proud that our courts continue to stand up for the Muslim community and the rule of law. Many Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities have suffered greatly since the Muslim ban was first issued. President Trump's attempted Muslim ban fed into the current culture of Islamophobia within the U.S. and abroad.
The Muslim ban unlawfully restrains travel and freedom of movement for the communities affected. Any attempts to limit travel based on religion or country of origin is an egregious attack on the Constitution and existing U.S. laws. This nationwide ruling will mitigate the harmful effects of the President's efforts to block travel by members of Muslim communities, which include significant restraint on travel and day-to-day activities, the promotion of harmful anti-Muslim stereotypes, and psychological harm.
From the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese American incarceration to the Muslim Ban today, xenophobia has driven national policy in ways that fan the flames of irrational fear and hatred. The court's decision today affirms America can and must do better than this.
While today is a victory for the freedom of our communities, there is still no finality on this issue until the Supreme Court decides whether or not to hear the case. We will continue to oppose any and all threats to the communities we represent. For example, the State Department recently made visa applications for our communities more difficult by requiring five years of social media information and fifteen years of travel history, making an already arduous process even more burdensome. We will continue to stay vigilant to any future efforts from every department of this administration to ban religious or ethnic communities through back door policies."
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