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Rabat – The United States House of Representatives voted in favor of the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Non-Immigants (NO BAN) Act —a bill aimed at reversing President Donald Trump’s executive order which blocks entry to immigrants primarily from Muslim-majority countries.
The July 22 vote marks the first US legislation geared toward protecting the rights of Muslim Americans.
In addition to terminating Trump’s controversial Muslim ban, enacted in 2017, the NO BAN Act also includes amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
It seeks to close loopholes in the law to prevent future presidents from enacting similar discriminatory bans.
The bill will also work to extinguish Trump’s rules and restrictions which challenge or block migrants’ eligibility to apply for asylum in the United States.
Human rights organizations and advocates in favor of the NO BAN Act regard it as a “civil rights victory for all” and a piece of legislature critical to protecting religious freedoms.
“Religious liberty and equal treatment under the law are not partisan issues. By supporting the NO BAN Act and having hearings and mark-ups on the bill, Congress will send a message to the country that discrimination is not acceptable and must stop,” writes Muslim Advocates, a national civil rights organization working to fight against bigotry and ensure American Muslim rights and representation.
Introduced by democrats in April 2019, the NO BAN Act has received considerable opposition from the republican party.
Right-wing resistance against the bill will present significant challenges when attempting to advance the bill to the Senate.
Trump’s Muslim Ban and it’s place in the presidential elections
Trump’s 2015 presidential campaign called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
In the years following, the President’s xenophoboic rhetoric and policies fueled anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant violence and discrimination.
Trump’s executive order 13769, later modified to order 13780, was labeled as an anti-terrorism effort that initially banned immigration from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The law sparked outrage as critics cited unlawful religious discrimination.
Trump later included Venezuela, North Korea, Nigeria, Sudan, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Tanzania to the travel ban list.
“There are today millions of Americans who, because of the Muslim ban, are separated from families and loved ones: parents who can’t be reunited, families who can’t be reunited, grandparents who are missing out on life events,” said Muslim Advocates’ executive director Farhana Khera.
Immigration issues, including the Muslim ban, are attracting significant attention leading up to the US 2020 presidential campaign.
Trump continues to appease his supporters by stoking their fears around the perceived threat of terrorism and promoting anti-immigration policies.
Meanwhile, democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden is courting Muslim voters with the promise to “end the Muslim ban on day one” if elected president.
“Muslim communities are the first to feel Donald Trump’s assault on Black and brown communities in this country, with his vile Muslim ban.
That fight was the opening barrage in what has been nearly four years of constant pressure and insults,” Biden said during a two-day virtual political conference attended by 3,000 American-Muslim voters.
