[NO BAN Act]
Farhana Khera: “For the first time ever, a chamber of Congress has passed a Muslim civil rights bill…this vote marks the beginning of the end of the Muslim Ban—a cruel policy that continues to tear families apart.”
Photo: YouTube
Maryland Rep. Jaimie Raskin speaking on House floor in support of the “NO BAN Act” and against Trump’s Muslim ban.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 233-183 to pass the NO BAN Act (HR 2486, formerly HR 2214). The NO BAN Act is a historic Muslim civil rights bill that would end the Trump administration’s Muslim and African Bans and close loopholes in immigration law to prevent future presidents from enacting similar discriminatory bans ever again.
Muslim Advocates worked with members of Congress to shape the bill and helped lead the effort to get it passed. The following is a statement from Muslim Advocates Executive Director Farhana Khera:
“For the first time ever, a chamber of Congress has passed a Muslim civil rights bill. We went office-to-office and district-to-district to gain support for the NO BAN Act and convince House leaders to make it a priority. But most importantly, this vote marks the beginning of the end of the Muslim Ban—a cruel policy that continues to tear families apart. Now we must take the fight to the Senate where we refuse to stop fighting until every senator hears from us and the bill lands on the president’s desk.”
On Thursday, July 23, at 2 PM ET, Farhana Khera will join Reps. Judy Chu, Ilhan Omar, André Carson, Rashida Tlaib, Zoe Lofgren, Pramila Jayapal, Jamie Raskin and Don Beyer at a celebratory press conference for the NO BAN Act.
The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act was introduced in April 2019 by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA). Muslim Advocates worked with both offices to help shape the legislation and led the NO BAN Act Coalition, an alliance of nearly 400 faith, national security and civil rights organizations working to support it. Muslim Advocates also worked with Postmates and Airbnb as they led a coalition of more than a dozen leading corporations in support of the bill, helped lead efforts to get House Democrats to sign on as co-sponsors of the bill and collected the stories of people impacted by the ban.
In September 2019, Muslim Advocates Executive Director Farhana Khera testified at the first ever congressional hearing on the Muslim Ban. Additionally, Muslim Advocates met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and led a coalition of civil rights leaders to urge the Speaker to ensure that the bill would receive a vote in the House.
Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination.
