Cleveland, OH – Ohio Immigrant Alliance welcomes the introduction of the NO BAN Act in Congress. The legislation, authored by Senator Christopher Coons and Representative Judy Chu, would put an end to President Trump’s discriminatory Muslim Ban, and make it impossible for future leaders to enact similar, prejudiced policies. The NO BAN Act also ends restrictions on asylum and refugees that the Trump administration put in place despite the generosity of Americans, who believe we should be an open nation that welcomes people fleeing violence and persecution. Read a summary of the legislation here.

The United States that I love is an open nation that welcomes people of all religions and backgrounds who believe in this nation and want to help build it. This vision may be contrary to that of President Trump and Stephen Miller, but they do not speak for me and many others. I urge every member of the Ohio congressional delegation to cosponsor this important civil rights bill and ensure its passage. Let’s send a message that, despite the stance of the current administration in Washington, the United States will continue to strive to become a fairer and more open nation in line with our values.  

Unfortunately, the NO BAN Act comes too late for many. Countless Americans have had to go through weddings, funerals, graduations, and births without the presence of a spouse, parent, or sibling because of Trump’s Muslim Ban. Those experiences, that time lost, can never be made back. Read more than one hundred real-life examples, including four from Ohio, here.
 

What’s more, one of the two refugee resettlement agencies in Akron, World Relief, will be closing its doors on April 30, 2019. The closure of this agency--which has resettled more than 400 refugees in Akron in the past four years--is a direct result of Trump’s drastic restrictions on refugees.
 

Kara Ulmer, Director of World Relief in Akron pointed out that fewer refugees coming to Akron “means less houses occupied. Less students for our shrinking schools. Less taxes paid. Less new businesses. Less consumer spending. Less innovation.”
 

“Refugees have been a huge part of Akron’s renaissance, which is still a work in progress,” said Lynn Tramonte. “It is sad and shameful that our nation is turning its back on people looking for safety, who would also contribute so much to our neighborhoods and towns.”
 

In one of his last acts, Ruben Castilla Herrera, the Columbus activist whose death this past weekend has hit all those who knew him hard, signed on to a letter supporting the NO BAN Act through his role at the Columbus Sanctuary Collective - Colectivo Santuario de Columbus. “When I saw Ruben on the list of signers, I thought, what a wonderful example of his life and impact,” Tramonte said. “Ruben’s legacy continues to speak.”
 

For more on the NO BAN Act and supporters across Ohio, see:

• Letter from 209 religious leaders and 90 faith-based organizations of different backgrounds, including a dozen from Ohio;

• Organizational letter of support from 400 groups across the U.S., including Ohio’s InterReligious Task Force On Central America and Colombia, Cleveland Jobs With Justice, Ohio Immigrant Alliance, Columbus Sanctuary Collective - Colectivo Santuario de Columbus, Somali Community Association of Ohio (SCAO), Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, Leadership Team Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio, and Transformations CDC; and

• A NYU Press blog post by immigration lawyers Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia and Mahsa Khanbabai.