Letter to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker, the Hon. Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, the Hon. James E. Clyburn, Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, and the Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee - Murphy Leads Group Urging Vote on Legislation to End Anti-Muslim Travel Ban

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Majority Whip Clyburn, and Chairman Nadler,

We write to ask that you schedule HR 2214, the NO BAN Act, for markup in the House Judiciary Committee followed promptly by a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. This bill will repeal the previous three iterations of the Muslim Ban, limit the President's authority to issue future bans, and broaden the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion.

We believe that it is past time for Congress to repeal the Muslim Ban that has punished the Muslim-American community for nearly three years.

As Americans, we must stand against the persecution of religious minorities. To pass the NO BAN Act is to stand up for the bedrock American value of religious liberty. That is why a broad coalition of interfaith leaders support the bill, along with more than 200 Members of Congress, ourselves included.

Muslim-American families remain separated for the simple reason that they hail from countries selected by President Trump to enact a campaign promise for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Since the first iteration of the Ban was implemented on January 27th, 2017 as Executive Order 13769, the Administration has been forced to issue successive revised versions of the Ban to overcome judicial scrutiny. Just last week, reports surfaced that the Administration may soon further expand the Ban.

We agree with Speaker Pelosi's June 26th, 2018 statement that the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the current Muslim Ban "undermines our values, our security, and our Constitution." Numerous national security officials have testified before Congress that the Ban does not make our country any safer. Foreign nationals undergo rigorous vetting through visa procedures that include biographic, biometric, and other stringent screenings. Furthermore, those seeking to enter the United States who are citizens of designated State Sponsor of Terrorism countries are already rightfully subject to the highest level of security and background checks including a required interview by a consular officer.

In light of the above, we respectfully urge you to swiftly bring the NO BAN Act to a committee markup and floor vote this year. It is our duty to relay an unequivocal message that the United States House of Representatives welcomes the Muslim-American community, as we do other communities, that their hardships have not been forgotten, and that the American people refuse to stand for discrimination of any kind. By passing NO BAN, we can both protect our national security and stay true to our nation's core values.

Respectfully,