National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my legislation, the NO BAN Act.

The Muslim ban was always wrong, needless, and cruel. Today, we can make sure it never happens again.

First, this policy was wrong. America does not ban people because of their religion, and the Supreme Court acknowledged this. When they upheld the third iteration of Trump's Muslim ban, the Court insisted that, in order to prove this wasn't just a religious ban, the Trump administration would have to issue waivers to allow those we know not to be a threat to travel here. But that waiver process was a sham, with almost all requests ignored, proving the purpose of the ban was to keep Muslims out of the country, just as Donald Trump always said it was.

Second, the policy was needless. As the Supreme Court's waiver requirement recognized, America has the best and strongest vetting system in the world. Many of those stopped by the Muslim ban had been vetted by U.S. officials many times over many years. I have met with many of them myself. These are people who are trying to escape dangerous situations or who simply wanted a chance at a better life. They turned to the U.S., as countless others have done over the generations. But instead of opportunity, they were met with bigotry, sometimes just days before they were supposed to arrive here.

Which is why, thirdly, this ban was about cruelty. Afraid to leave America out of fear they wouldn't be able to return, or unable to visit here at all, families were intentionally isolated from each other, missing weddings, funerals, births, and graduations.

This past year has shown us what the impact of missing such milestones feels like. To do it deliberately is inexcusable.

Thousands of families were separated by this policy simply because of a lie that Muslims are dangerous, a lie that encouraged bigotry and xenophobia, even as hate crimes are on the rise.

Fortunately, President Biden understood the harm of this policy and rescinded the Muslim bans on his first day in office. But we must make sure no President is ever able to ban people from coming to the U.S. simply because of their religion, which is why I am so pleased that we are voting to pass the NO BAN Act today.

While preserving a President's ability to respond to national emergencies like pandemics, this bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that any future travel ban is based on credible facts and actual threats. The bill also requires the President to work in consultation with the Departments of State and Homeland Security to provide evidence of why a ban is needed in the first place.

I am so grateful to Chairman Nadler, as well as my House and Senate cosponsors, for their support, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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