Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act (H.R. 1333), also known as the NO BAN Act. Sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), the bill would repeal the travel bans implemented by the Trump administration, which separated families and unfairly targeted refugees and Muslim and African immigrants; strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion; and prevent future presidents from abusing their executive authority to enact discriminatory bans such as the Muslim ban.
After the vote, Philip E. Wolgin, acting vice president of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Passage of the NO BAN Act is long overdue and will wipe away one of the biggest stains of the Trump administration’s sustained—literally from its first week in office—anti-Muslim and anti-African discrimination and will ensure that such abuses of immigration authority are not possible in the future. The NO BAN Act is among the most basic things that Congress can do to create a more fair, humane, and workable immigration system, and we urge the Senate to pass the bill immediately.
Maggie Siddiqi, senior director of the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at CAP, released the following statement:
Religious discrimination should have no place in our country’s immigration system. People of all faiths and no faith are welcome here. The NO BAN Act helps our nation more fully realize the promise of religious freedom. America’s diverse religious communities eagerly await the Senate taking action to protect this bedrock American value.
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For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos at [email protected].