SHAFAQNA-Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced a bill intended to remove the legal justification for a “Muslim ban,” which Donald Trump promised during his 2016 presidential election.
Omar released a statement on Thursday about the bill that would repeal the Alien Enemies Act, which the president used as a precedent to justify his travel ban.
“This outdated and xenophobic law is an offense to our values as a nation, which should stand as a refuge for those fleeing violence and persecution,” Omar said.
“It is a perfect example of outdated immigration laws that are being exploited and abused by this Administration. As the President seeks to expand the Muslim Ban, we must close policy loopholes that he can exploit to cause harm to our neighbors, our country and the values that we hold dear,” she continued.
“We must learn from historical mistakes built on fear of the other and embrace a fair and just immigration system by repealing the Alien Enemies Act,” Omar concluded.
Then-candidate Donald Trump angered many when he called for a “Muslim ban” during the 2016 presidential campaign, but once in office he rebranded his policy as a travel ban on countries that were designated as terror threats.
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on!” he said in a statement on December 2015.
“We have no choice. We have no choice. We have no choice,” he added.
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