SPLC Action Fund Applauds House Passage of NO BAN Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the NO BAN Act, sending the legislation to the Senate. The No BAN Act is designed to end the discriminatory and racist entry bans on Muslims and Africans imposed by the Trump administration and prohibits future presidents from barring individuals from entering the country based on religious discrimination or nationality.  

The following statement is from Margaret Huang, President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center and SPLC Action Fund.

“SPLC Action applauds the passage of the NO BAN Act, and we encourage the Senate to send this bill to the President’s desk without delay. We appreciate that President Biden rescinded the discriminatory Muslim Ban on his very first day in office. Enactment of this legislation will help prevent a future president from taking similar discriminatory executive action on the basis of nationality or religion. 

“Rooted in Islamophobia, anti-Blackness and nativism, the Muslim Ban served only to mainstream hate. The ban fueled anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments and hate violence in communities across the United States.  

“We call on our leaders to safeguard the principles of religious freedom and equal justice protected by the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. The NO BAN Act embodies these ideals which form the foundation of any fair and free society and provides a path to justice for the many Muslim, brown and Black families that have been unfairly separated as a result of the bigoted ban.  

“We must leave this shameful policy squarely in our past and enactment of the NO BAN Act will do just that. The United States is at its best when we act on our shared values of empathy, compassion and fairness for all.”