The following is a statement from our national partner, Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM):
Trump’s ‘Revised’ Ban: New Bigotry Same as the Old Bigotry
The Revision Remains as Repulsive as the Initial Ban
(WASHINGTON)—President Trump’s ‘revised’ travel ban remains as repulsive as his initial plan, chock full of as much bigotry against immigrants, particularly Muslims and all refugees, as the first ban.
“The Trump administration has tried to dress up the revised ban with nicer words but they don’t hide the fact that the refugee program has been suspended, meaning thousands of people desperately seeking to flee war-torn countries, violence and poverty will not be welcome in the United States,” said FIRM spokesperson Kica Matos. “This ban still sends an ugly message to the rest of the world that America’s new ‘normal’ is keeping people out of a country that has always upheld the tradition and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty.”
“Donald Trump today has viciously attacked this tradition with darkness and hate. To be clear, refugee families fleeing war, natural disaster, ethnic cleansing and tyranny will die as a result of this order,” Matos said. “The people Donald Trump sentenced to die today – will do so for no good reasons. Adding to the appalling reality is that this immoral act is being done in the name of symbolic politics because the refugee program itself has always had a form of extreme vetting. Every American of compassion and love should be filled with disgust today.”
“By targeting refugees from six Muslim-majority countries, the Trump administration is walking a very dangerous line on religious freedoms,” Matos added. “Our country was founded by people escaping religious persecution and the freedom to practice your religion is a value held sacred by all Americans.”
“There is no room in America for such extreme hatred,” Matos said. “We will fight to protect our families from hateful policies and we urge all lawmakers to stand up against what is clearly a bigoted piece of policy.”
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The Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) is the nation’s largest immigrant-rights coalition, with grassroots organizations in more than 40 states fighting for immigrant rights at the local, state and federal level. For more information, go to www.fairimmigration.org or follow us on Twitter @Re4mImmigration.
