By City News Service
A number of Southland civic leaders expressed disappointment after the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, upheld President Donald Trump’s executive order that largely bans travel and immigration from the nations of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea.
The executive order has been termed a “Muslim ban” by critics despite the fact that it makes no mention of religion. Five of the seven countries included have Muslim-majority populations, and Trump openly speculated while campaigning for the presidency in 2015 and 2016 that the United States needed a temporary ban on Muslims traveling to the United States in light of terrorist attacks by extremists in the United States and other nations.
The court ruled, 5-4, that Trump’s order was firmly in keeping with presidential authority to restrict immigration, and noted that his previous words had no bearing on the current policy.
The court’s explanation did not mollify critics of the policy.
“This ban and the ones before it have not contributed to an increased safety for Americans. They have only propagated unwarranted fear and mistrust of law-abiding Muslims from around the world attempting to lawfully enter the country for work, for medical purposes, to visit family or to attend school,” said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Los Angeles chapter.
“This is not the end of the road. It is a setback. We, along with our civil rights allies, will continue to mobilize our communities, and engage elected officials and the media to challenge this ban.”
In protest, CAIR held a “No Muslim Ban Ever” rally in Anaheim on June 26.
Learn more about CAIR at ca.cair.com