July 20, 2020
VOTE “YES” ON NO BAN ACT, VOTE “NO” ON ANY AMENDMENTS OR OTHER CHANGES
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the National Korean American Service & Education (NAKASEC) Network (NAKASEC VA – Northern VA, HANA Center – Chicago, Korean Resource Center – Los Angeles & Orange County, CA, and Woori Center – Montgomery PA), we urge you to vote “YES” on the NO BAN Act and vote “NO” on any amendments put forth.
The NO BAN Act comes at a critical moment after months of President Trump using the pandemic to cast blame on immigrant communities and advance his anti-immigrant agenda. Under cover of a global pandemic, he has issued numerous anti-immigrant executive orders and bans that in reality have little to do with COVID-19, some of which include: the ban on immigration in April 2020, the ban on H-1B visas, H-2B visas, H-4 visas, L-1 visas and certain J-1 visas in June 2020, and the ban on international student visas (the last of which was thankfully reversed due to academic litigation).
The NO BAN Act would directly counter this display of abuse of authority by the executive branch that enabled the issuing of these executive orders. It would rescind the Muslim ban, refugee Muslim ban, and asylum ban, and strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by placing a more stringent standard for presidential action that suspends or restricts immigrant entry. It also prohibits travel bans based on race or religion. These proposed standards–which demand “specific and credible” facts, a compelling government interest, and the least restrictive means for any presidential action that suspends or restricts immigrant entry–are common sense steps to strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and protect the “checks and balances” system laid out by our Constitution.
This is a historic moment and the first time a chamber of Congress will vote on a Muslim civil rights bill. This Wednesday June 22, we invite you to be a part of this historic moment and vote “YES” on the NO BAN Act. This is an immensely impactful bill that will close a loophole in the INA and prevent the executive branch from abusing its authority to enact anti-immigrant policies that have little basis in fact and much to do with xenophobic and white supremacist agendas. We urge you to vote “YES” on the NO BAN Act to do right by our communities.
Please contact Michelle Liang, Policy & Communication Manager at the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), at michelle@nakasec.org with any questions.
Sincerely,
Michelle Liang
Policy & Communication Manager
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
