US House passes bill to prevent another ‘Muslim ban’
The bill, which must also pass in the US Senate to become law, was approved by a 218-208 vote in the House on Wednesday
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would limit the ability of any United States president to impose a travel ban on the basis of religion, a move that was welcomed by civil rights advocates as “a major step forward”.
The legislation, known informally as the NO BAN Act, comes in response to former President Donald Trump’s controversial “Muslim ban” that barred travel to the US from several Muslim-majority countries.
The bill, which must also pass in the US Senate to become law, was approved by a 218-208 vote in the House on Wednesday.
“The Muslim ban tore families apart, put lives on hold for years and labelled Muslims, Africans and other targeted people as threatening outsiders,” said Madihha Ahussain, counsel to Muslim Advocates, a US civil rights group.
President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s travel ban by executive order on January 20, his first day in office.
The NO BAN Act would revise US immigration law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion and would limit the ability of presidents to issue executive orders imposing any such future travel restrictions.
Even though Trump was defeated in the 2020 presidential election and Biden reversed the travel ban, US legislators said it was important to take legislative action.
“Donald Trump’s Muslim ban is a dark stain on our country’s history, and it must never happen again,” said Democratic Representative Don Beyer, a sponsor of the bill. (Aljazeera)