The NO BAN Act: What can Local Communities do to Support it?
By: Shoulder To Shoulder Camp
Tags: Muslim Ban, Politics, Muslim, Religious Freedom, Interfaith

What is the NO BAN Act? The National Origin-Based Anti-discrimination for Non-Immigrants (NO BAN) Act was introduced in April 2019 by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) to repeal the blanket “travel ban” issued in 2017 against nearly all citizens of selected primarily Muslim countries, and to assure that future administrations impose travel restrictions based on credible facts rather than national and religious prejudice. In so doing, it would assure that the original intent of Congress be honored to screen travelers to the United States based on any harms they might pose as individuals rather than to exclude disfavored religious or national groups.

Why is the NO BAN Act important today? The current “travel ban” initially came into effect to implement President Trump’s campaign pledge of a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” After two versions of the ban were blocked by court challenges, the scope of the third version was limited primarily to citizens of five predominantly Muslim countries, and the constitutional challenge to this version was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. But unlike the prior versions, the current ban was issued as a permanent measure, and it is continuing to have devastating impacts on the lives of countless individuals, both the 150 million inhabitants of the countries in question and the numerous family members of otherwise eligible travelers from these countries whose families have been kept apart. Perhaps even worse, without legislation like the NO BAN Act, this or future Administrations could impose more draconian restrictions against disfavored religious or national groups with no effective remedy possible. You can read stories on how this ban continues to impact individuals and families through these story collections from Muslim Advocates and the ACLU.

What is the current status of the bill? As of November 1, 2019, the bill had 199 co-sponsors in the House and 36 in the Senate, and its supporters are looking for more. On September 24th, The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship and Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations head a historic joint hearing on the Muslim Ban. We continue to look to provide more support and attention for the bill.

So what can local communities do to promote it?

· Call your Congressperson and Senators. Offices keep close track of how many letters/calls come into their offices in support of or against various bills or issues. You might also tweet at them, if you’re active on Twitter (because they usually are!). Here’s a link to find the right phone numbers for your representatives. You can draw on these talking points when calling.

· If you are a faith leader or have the ability to sign a letter on behalf of a faith-based organizations, you can add your name or your organization’s name to a faith letter developed by Shoulder to Shoulder and Church World Service. Sign on using this link if you’re a faith leader and using this link if you’re signing on behalf of a faith-based organization. Please distribute the faith letter amongst faith leaders and organizations in your state, as we can prepare a separate version of these letters to be delivered to particular members of Congress with signatures separated by state as well. Individuals can also add their names to this petition (you don’t have to be a faith leader or representing a faith-based organization to do so).

· Tell stories from someone affected in your state. Here are links to collected stories by Muslim Advocates and the ACLU. You can share these stories on your own platforms, or draw upon them when calling, writing, or meeting with your member of Congress.

· Organize meetings with your representatives in Congress or staff members to convey your strong concerns in favor of the bill. This document gives some tips for setting up meetings and talking points you can use in these meetings.

· Write an op-ed for your local media in connection with the upcoming hearing. Contact us at info@s2scampaign.org if you’re interested in writing an op-ed and we can offer editing and pitching support!

· Use your voice on social media using #NoMuslimBanEver and #NoBanAct to join the chorus of Americans speaking up on this issue. We’ll continue to update this page with time-specific social media campaign opportunities as well.

Please reach out to us at info@s2scampaign.org for more information or support as we work together to repeal the ban!