(PHILADELPHIA, PA – 6/27/2017) — The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations today responded to the Supreme Court’s partial reinstatement of the Muslim Ban by issuing a travel alert to Pennsylvania Muslims, as well as local businesses and schools, with connections to citizens of the six targeted Muslim-majority nations: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
Jacob Bender, Executive Director of CAIR-Philadelphia, said: “As a civil rights organization, CAIR has great respect for the judicial system of the United States, and notes with approval that three lower courts suspended President Trump’s ‘Muslim Travel Ban’ and questioned its constitutionality. And without assigning any racial or religious animus to the SCOTUS judges themselves, we believe that the Supreme Court overlooked the broader atmosphere of anti-Muslim bigotry in the nation and the failed to consider, as did the lower courts, the President’s contribution to the current Islamophobic climate.”
CAIR-Philadelphia warned citizens of the six targeted countries who are present in Pennsylvania as lawful permanent residents, students, workers, or tourists to consult with an immigration attorney before traveling overseas.
CAIR-Philadelphia also informed families, schools and businesses that they can continue to sponsor foreign nationals from the six Muslim nations to travel to the United States in some circumstances. FOREIGN NATIONALS WHO WISH TO VISIT CLOSE RELATIVES INSIDE THE COUNTRY WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO OBTAIN VISITOR VISAS TO TRAVEL TO THE US.
CAIR is 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: CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender, 267-515-6710, jbender@cair.com
