LWV urges House to vote immediately on NO BAN Act

Building on the League’s endorsement of the reintroduced bill earlier this month, LWV joined allies in urging House Leadership to bring the NO BAN Act to a vote. The NO BAN Act would be eligible for an early vote via a legislative process in which bills passed in the last session are able to be voted on without going through committee markup.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

1236 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Steny Hoyer

1705 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 Dear Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer:

As civil rights and liberties organizations, immigration organizations, human rights organizations, and community-based organizations committed to protecting the rights of Muslim, African, Arab, Iranian, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities, we write to reiterate our support of the NO BAN Act and the need for this bill to be voted on immediately in its current form. The No Ban Act passed with bipartisan support in the last Congress, and we urge you to move this bill to a floor vote before April 1, 2021, rather than unnecessarily repeat a markup process.

As reintroduced, the NO BAN Act would:

1) Require the executive branch to meet a more stringent and reasonable standard before issuing future bans. Under current law, the executive branch claims the authority to bar the entry of large groups of people, including entire nationalities, without effective accountability or regard for the policies codified in other parts of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Rather than continue to use this dangerously overbroad standard, the NO BAN Act would require the executive branch to meet a standard based on "specific and credible facts" that any suspension of or restriction from entry must be connected to "specific acts" that have actually occurred. Furthermore, the bill requires that any such suspension or restriction meet a compelling government interest and that the government use the least restrictive means in doing so.

2) Establish a system of checks and balances whereby Congress would be routinely notified and briefed on the status, implementation, and constitutional and legislative authority of executive branch actions.

3) Expand the non-discrimination provision of the INA by prohibiting discrimination based on religion.

This bill is a significant step forward for Muslim and African communities and others who could be targeted and discriminated against in the future. Thank you for your leadership on this bill. We strongly urge you to pass the NO BAN Act on the House floor in its current form before April 1, 2021.

Sincerely,

For Full List of Signatories See Attached Letter