FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2018
Contact: Dorothy He
(872) 600-9517 / dhe@napawf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling which upheld the Muslim travel ban in the Trump v. Hawaii case. In 2017, President Trump imposed a ban on entry into the United States on individuals from seven countries, mostly Muslim-majority countries. The state of Hawaii, the Muslim Association of Hawaii, and individuals sued to challenge the ban on the grounds that it violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, because it was motivated by animus against Islam and Muslims. Plaintiffs also argued that the ban contravened provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld the ban, finding that the ban was within the President’s broad discretionary power under the INA and that the ban did not violate the Establishment Clause.

NAPAWF Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow issued the following statement in response:

“NAPAWF denounces the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Muslim ban in the Trump v. Hawaii case. This ban flies in the face of the values our country was built on.

“Denying a group of individuals entry to the United States based on their religion or country of origin is unconstitutional and puts the health and lives of these people at stake. The administration’s repeated attempts at instituting such a wildly illegal ban has put their racism and Islamophobia on plain display for all to see.

“The Muslim ban follows a long line of racist bans in American History, including the Chinese Exclusion Act, designed to keep out non-white immigrants, as well as the Page Act, which targeted Asian immigrant women. Because of this ban, many who have been waiting to reunite with loved ones may never get to see them again — including mothers and parents who have been separated from their children. What’s more, individuals seeking asylum from these countries are also routinely being denied entry through this ban. Fewer than 2% of applicants from countries impacted by the ban are granted visas in the end. Tearing families apart is an attack on reproductive justice, period.

“We must work together to combat hatred and xenophobia wherever we find it. Discrimination based on one’s religion or country of origin cannot be tolerated. NAPAWF will continue fighting for justice and dignity for all women and girls and their families.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build a movement to advance social justice and human rights for AAPI women and girls.