June 12, 2017: South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national South Asian racial justice and civil rights organization, welcomes the 9th Circuit decision to uphold a nationwide injunction on President Trump's "Muslim Ban 2.0" executive order.
"What the President called 'watered-down', the Court of Appeals called unconstitutional," stated Suman Raghunathan, Executive Director of SAALT. "The 9th Circuit, along with numerous courts, have made it abundantly clear that discrimination on the basis of religion and national origin are offensive to the ideals of our democracy. While welcomed, today's ruling could not block the hate the President's policies have already created and validated. Violence against our communities is on the rise. Visa issuances have slowed dramatically. These are the grim realities our communities experience in public every day."
SAALT has documented increasing hate violence incidents since the President took office, numbering over 100 incidents targeting Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Americans alone. Tragic shootings in Kansas and Washington State, arson attacks and vandalism of mosques, homes, campuses, and businesses across the country, and anti-Muslim rallies in 30 cities over the weekend demonstrate the fertile environment for hate this administration has cultivated.
Data released by the State Department also suggests that the number of visas issued to people from six majority-Muslim countries targeted by the President's executive order appears to be slowing down dramatically. The number of nonimmigrant visas issued to citizens from the six majority-Muslim countries in March and April have decreased by nearly 50% from the 2016 average.
Despite strong rulings by various courts on the "Muslim Bans", hate and division continue to be a fact of life for our communities. SAALT maintains that immigration reform that upholds the rights of all, legislation such as the No Hate Act and End Racial and Religious Profiling Act that codify protections for all of our communities, and strong hate crimes laws in all 50 states are key priorities we must demand from all of our elected and appointed officials.
As the 9th Circuit noted, "immigration, even for the President, is not a one-person show." Nor is the struggle for civil rights and liberties. We must applaud today's order, but we must continue to demand justice and full inclusion in our America.
