The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today denounced the Trump administration’s “xenophobic” decision to expand its discriminatory 2025 travel ban by adding seven more countries to the fully-banned list and imposing full restrictions on people traveling with Palestinian Authority-issued documents.
SEE: Official White House Proclamation Expanding the Travel Ban
The administration announced the expansion, naming Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Syria to the list of fully banned countries and fully restricts entry for individuals using Palestinian Authority-issued/endorsed travel documents. It also imposed partial restrictions on the entry of nationals from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This latest action follows the administration’s unjust move earlier this month to ban immigration and visa processing for Afghan nationals.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“This is nothing more than a dangerous, xenophobic, politically motivated expansion of a racist policy that primarily targets Black, African, and Muslim communities, and separates families based on national origin, race, and religion. Targeting entire nations does not make America safer; it only tears families apart and diminishes our standing as a nation of welcome.
“The restriction placed upon travelers with Palestinian-Authority-issued documents is a particularly cruel and unprecedented act of geopolitical targeting that has no basis in national security.”
In a statement, CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
“This administration is once again weaponizing the executive branch to target entire communities under the guise of national security. The overwhelming evidence shows this policy is a tool of discrimination used against Black, African, and Muslim communities that deliberately exploits the pain of people fleeing instability, war, and persecution. We stand ready to defend our communities against this cruel policy and provide immediate legal support to those impacted.”
CAIR urged all allies to join us in demanding that Congress pass the NO BAN Act immediately to permanently end this discriminatory practice.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR-SFBA Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, ladam@cair.com
