Humanists, it’s time to push the Senate to swiftly pass the NO BAN Act.
Trump’s ban on travel and immigration from Muslim-majority countries was nothing short of an abuse of presidential power. Congress could have held him accountable for this intentionally xenophobic policy that lacked a concrete basis on facts or reason, but the Senate was unwilling at the time.
This egregious action by the former President needs to be remedied so it doesn’t happen again. No president should be able to ban people from entering the country or seeking asylum based on nefarious intentions and arbitrarily discriminatory criteria.
We all know how harmful this ban was to communities. Many people were unable to seek asylum from their countries, unable to access life-saving medical care, barred from joining their families to mourn the loss of a loved one, or even prevented from embracing their loved ones because of the ban.
The Muslim ban was recently rescinded and the NO BAN Act, which would ensure future presidents can’t take similar discriminatory measures, has already been passed by the House. The bill was introduced in the Senate this week and now we have to press them to act. The NO BAN Act will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act so that Congress has stronger oversight abilities when a president enacts a broad classification travel ban.
Limits on that presidential power are imperative. The enactment of blatant xenophobic policies has no place in our country. It’s crucial that our immigration and travel processes treat people fleeing persecution with empathy and dignity. Having a travel and immigration system gripped by discriminatory policies is cruel, insidious, and a bad reflection on our country.
