In response to today’s news that the Supreme Court will hear the Muslim/travel ban case in October and will allow a limited version of the ban to take effect, legal experts and advocates analyzed the developments and larger implications. A recording of today’s event is available here.
Becca Heller, Director of International Refugee Assistance Project, said:
The announcement this morning means that the Supreme Court will weigh in on the Muslim ban case. The bigger news is the implications of the stay clause and what parts of the original Executive Order will go into effect. A plain reading of the court’s order leaves only a very narrow set of people whose travel should be affected. The administration must act in according to the court’s ruling – they are not allowed to revoke visas based on racial or religious profiling. We will be monitoring the administration very closely, sending legal support to airports, and distributing Know Your Rights materials to make sure that frontline immigration officials are acting in accordance with the extremely limited scope of the order.
Omar C. Jadwat, Director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, said:
This order allows only a narrow sliver of the ban to go forward. We will stop any attempt by the Trump administration to go further. And we look forward to the next stage of this case, where the Court will have the chance to strike the ban down entirely and vindicate the fundamentally important Constitutional principle that the government cannot single any religion out for disfavor.
Melanie Nezer, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs of HIAS, said:
HIAS is one of nine resettlement agencies in the United States. When refugees applied to enter the United States, they are screened and vetted extensively over multiple years. It’s a long and arduous process. Now, we are looking to reassure our clients that being in the process still matters. People in the resettlement process should not be denied entry into the United States under the Court’s ruling today.
Karen Tumlin, Legal Director of National Immigration Law Center, said:
Courts across the country have agreed that the Muslim ban is, in fact, a ban against people based on where they’re from or how they pray. Our plaintiffs and their clients have bravely fought against this policy that is so deeply contrary to who we are as a country. We are ready to take this fight to the highest court in the land this fall.
Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center, said:
Since January, the United States courts have acted to restrain the overreach and un-American policies of this administration and reinforce and protect the constitution. While today is a partial setback, we will continue to stand with our clients and communities to fight for fairness and equality for all.
