(SANTA CLARA, CA – 1/15/2020) – The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) today welcomed a ruling by a Maryland judge stating that President Donald Trump cannot give state and local governments “veto power” to reject refugees from resettling within their borders.
U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte blocked Trump’s executive order requiring resettlement agencies to get written consent from officials in any jurisdiction where they want to resettle refugees beyond June of this year.
SEE: Judge: Trump Can’t Let States ‘Veto’ Refugee Resettlement
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA’s Executive Director, Zahra Billoo said:
“We as a nation need to ensure that refugees are being welcomed to this country. We are grateful to see Judge Pete Messitte blocking the cruel Trump administration executive order. We appreciate the leadership of HIAS, Church World Service (CWS), Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) in taking on this important fight.”
CAIR-National’ Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas said:
“While we are optimistic that the courts will ultimately do the right thing, we must also remain vigilant. The court’s decision only temporarily blocks the order and we will continue to work to ensure a welcoming society for refugees.”
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: Communications Coordinator Zoha Raza, 408.986.9874, zraza@cair.com