NAPABA Supports Introduction of NO BAN Act

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) on April 10 introduced the “NO BAN Act” to end the Muslim Ban and stop discrimination on the basis of religion in immigration.

The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act repeals the three versions of President Trump’s Muslim ban, strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans.

Daniel Sakaguchi

The legislation is supported by 90 members of Congress, nearly 400 diverse civil rights, faith, national security and community organizations, as well as private companies and more than 50 immigration law professors.

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association is an original organizational supporter of the act.

“NAPABA stands strongly against discrimination. As we argued in the public and in the courts, the Muslim Ban will be seen as a dark stain on our history,” said NAPABA President Daniel Sakaguchi. “As an organization that believes we must ‘stop repeating history’, we support the NO BAN Act and efforts to limit the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision, which opened the door to discrimination under the guise of national security.”

NAPABA opposed all three versions of the presidential executive orders known as the Muslim Ban. This included filing amicus briefs in district courts, circuit courts, and the Supreme Court, opposing the different iterations of the order. Affiliated national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations joined NAPABA in these efforts.

“President Trump’s Muslim Ban is a hateful policy, born from bigotry, that denies both our country and millions of aspiring Americans a better future,” said Rep. Chu. “That is why I’m proud to be joining with Sen. Coons on the NO BAN Act, which not only repeals all three of Trump’s attempts to ban Muslims from entering the country, but also creates checks on his ability to enact a future ban based on religion, race, or ethnicity.

“This ban makes America less safe, endangers the lives of refugees who seek safety here, and tarnishes our reputation in the world. It has nothing to do with national security, and everything to do with instilling fear of the Muslim community. And that’s why we are acting to end it.”

“Right now, there are thousands of American citizens who are forced to live apart from their spouses, whose children will never know their grandparents, and who are denied the opportunity to celebrate milestones with loved ones because of the president’s discriminatory Muslim Ban that does not make us safer,” said Sen. Coons. “This ban is family separation by another name. It is a stain on America’s reputation around the world that runs counter to our values and is hurting real people. I’m proud to join Congresswoman Chu in introducing this important bill to make clear that, in the United States, we will not tolerate discrimination based on religion or nationality. I invite everyone who treasures our American values to join us in defending them.”

Coons and Chu announced the bicameral legislation at an event featuring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rep. André Carson (D-Ind.), Rep. lhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), as well as Farhana Khera, president and executive director of Muslim Advocates; Khizr Khan, Gold Star parent and constitutional rights and national unity advocate; Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and senior vice president of the Union for Reform Judaism; and Mana Kharrazi, executive director of Iranian Alliances Across Borders, whose family and community have been impacted by the ban.