U.S. House Passes Spanberger-Cosponsored NO BAN Act to Repeal Administration’s Muslim Ban, Prevent Future Discriminatory Bans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted to pass legislation cosponsored by U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger to repeal the administration’s existing executive order blocking travel from several majority-Muslim countries and to prevent another baseless, discriminatory travel ban from happening again.

The House-passed National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act repeals the three versions of President Trump’s Muslim ban, strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans. Additionally, the NO BAN Act would require the President to consult with the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security before restricting or suspending the entry of individuals, and it would strengthen mandatory reporting requirements to Congress related to such restrictions.

“Discrimination based on one’s religion goes directly against our founding principles. In early 2017, we saw the administration issue a discriminatory executive order that targeted majority-Muslim countries and prohibited family members of American citizens from travelling to the United States. Not only is this policy wrong, but it’s an affront to our American values — and it has done nothing to improve our safety,” said Spanberger. “I was proud to help introduce the NO BAN Act as an original cosponsor, because I’ve seen thousands of Central Virginians speak up against the administration’s misguided Muslim ban and stand with our Muslim neighbors. I’m even prouder to have helped pass this legislation in the U.S. House, and I urge the Senate to stand with the Muslim-American community and pass this legislation as soon as possible.”

A 2019 Cato Institute analysis found that the administration’s Muslim ban has prevented more than 9,000 family members of U.S. citizens from entering the country, including more than 5,500 children. 

The NO BAN Act also takes into consideration the needs of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation includes protections to ensure that the President has the authority to protect the American people from the spread of communicable disease, such as COVID-19.

The NO BAN Act is supported by nearly 400 religious, legal, and advocacy organizations, including: the ACLU, National Council of Churches, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Church World Service, Muslim Advocates, Interfaith Alliance, National Immigration Law Center, America’s Voice, Center for Constitutional Rights, Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP, UnidosUS, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, International Refugee Assistance Project, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Anti-Defamation League, Amnesty International, United Methodist Church, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, National Council of Jewish Women, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Human Rights Campaign, AFSCME, SEIU, American Federation of Teachers, League of Women Voters, National Women’s Law Center, National Organization for Women, and MomsRising.

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