On 6th Anniversary of Muslim & African Ban, Reps. Chu, Omar, Tlaib, Carson and Civil Rights Orgs Call on President Biden to Reunite Harmed Families

Leading civil rights and immigrant justice organizations deliver letter and petition to President Biden urging him to provide immediate relief to thousands still harmed by the Ban

WASHINGTON, DC – Ahead of the 6th anniversary of the Muslim & African Ban that sparked worldwide condemnation, a broad coalition of civil and human rights groups, immigrant justice organizations, Reps. Judy Chu, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and André Carson marked the unconscionable and lasting harms of the Ban as a result of the Biden administration’s inaction. Live stream available here. 

On January 27, 2017, President Trump enacted the first Muslim Ban, banning people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Six years later, even after President Biden rescinded the Muslim & African Ban on his first day in office, thousands are still separated from their families and caught in a black hole of administration delays, with little information and no recourse to repair the damage. Many denied entry by the Ban spent all of their savings and sold family heirlooms to afford visa applications and related travel costs. 

Bearing posters with the photos and stories of just some of the countless children, siblings, and parents who are still separated from their loved ones, the group rallied at the House Triangle today and delivered a petition with more than 33,000 signatures and a letter to President Biden urging him to fulfill his promise to fully dismantle the racist and Islamophobic Ban and allow all individuals who were denied their fair shot at immigrating to the U.S. 

“President Biden’s decision to rescind the Muslim Ban in 2021 was a much needed first step to reverse many of the policies that fanned flames of xenophobia and Islamophobia,” said Salam Al-Marayati, President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. “To this day, an untold number of people are still reeling from the impact of those policies, particularly Arab, African, and Muslim immigrants. We urge the Biden administration to stand by its promise and take action to provide relief to those negatively affected by the ban; and we call on Congress to reintroduce and pass the NO BAN Act to ensure no community ever experiences what we went through ever again.”

Read our full joint press release here.