PAAIA Applauds Senator Coons for Introducing the NO BAN Act in U.S. Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Emily Porter
Email: emily@paaia.org
Phone: (202) 828-8370

Washington, DC – Today, the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization serving the interests of the Iranian American community, praised Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) for introducing the NO BAN Act in the U.S. Senate. The NO BAN Act creates accountability mechanisms and safeguards to prevent future administrations from enacting discriminatory policies like the Travel Ban.

In response to today’s Senate introduction of the NO BAN Act, Leila Austin, executive director of PAAIA, issued the following statement:

“On behalf of PAAIA and the Iranian American community, I commend Senator Coons for championing the NO BAN Act in the U.S. Senate. With today’s Senate introduction, we are one step closer to ridding our nation of policies that undercut American values and punish vulnerable communities. Since the Travel Ban was instituted, PAAIA tirelessly advocated for it to be rescinded and pushed for policies that would prevent future administrations from enacting similar, discriminatory bans. The NO BAN Act is one such solution. We call on Senate leadership to expedite a vote on this bill so that the dark chapter of the Travel Ban in American history will never be repeated.”

The NO BAN Act was originally introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and passed out of the House by a bipartisan vote of 218-208 in April. The bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it more difficult for future administrations to enact discriminatory policies like the Travel Ban and prevents religious-based discrimination against anyone seeking entry into the United States. The legislation would also require that Congress, through its appropriate committees, is routinely notified and briefed on the status, implementation and authority of the executive branch’s actions pertaining to immigration and travel bans issued based on national security and human rights.

For more information about PAAIA’s efforts against the Travel Ban and for details on what comes next after the Travel Ban, visit PAAIA’s website at www.paaia.org/travel-ban. To learn about our efforts to uphold the civil liberties of Iranian Americans, visit here.

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May 27th, 2021