Washington D.C.—Church World Service today celebrated the reintroduction of the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act (NO BAN Act) in the Senate. The bill, re-introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), would prohibit discrimination based on religion and limit executive authority to issue future discriminatory bans like the Trump administration’s Muslim, refugee, and African Bans. The NO BAN Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives in April, would uphold our nation’s principles of religious freedom and our moral obligation to welcome.
“It is a sad fact that throughout our history as a nation, immigration policies have been used to target individuals because of their religion and national origin. People of faith across traditions were left in harm’s way because bigotry was allowed to create law and policy. The passage of the NO BAN Act would serve as a rebuke to not only the fear-based policies of the Trump administration, but to any who would use hate and xenophobia to guide immigration policy,” said Meredith Owen, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Church World Service. “For four years we fought as families suffered, as American communities were left without new neighbors, and as our international partners were forced to reconsider whether the United States could be trusted to do the right thing. We celebrate the NO BAN Act as a safeguard against religious discrimination. Now, it is up to the Senate to swiftly pass the bill.”
CWS previously applauded President Biden’s rescission of the Muslim and African ban and the refugee ban, and earlier commended the NO BAN Act’s passage in the House and inclusion in the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. A letter from over 300 faith-leaders and faith-based organizations supporting the 116th Congress’s NO BAN Act is available here
Since 1946, Church World Service has supported refugees, immigrants and other displaced individuals, in addition to providing sustainable relief and development solutions to communities that wrestle with hunger and poverty. Learn more about our work and join our global homebase for refugee solidarity at cwsglobal.org.