For Immediate Release – June 26, 2018
Contact Erin Williams – ewilliams@faithinaction.org
202-748-0699
Faith In Action Condemns Supreme Court’s Decision To Uphold Ban on Muslim Migration
WASHINGTON – Today, in a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration’s ban on migration for people from Muslim-majority countries. Richard Morales, director of Faith In Action’s immigration campaign LA RED, Joseph Fleming, Director of Catholic Organizing, and PICO California co-directors Rev. Ben McBride and Joseph McKellar, issued the following statements:
“In choosing to uphold the ban on migration for people from Muslim-majority countries, the Supreme Court is allowing bigotry and xenophobia to be a guiding force in America,” Richard Morales, Director of LA RED said. “It was clear in the beginning that this ban came from a place of fear and hatred – not “safety” – against our Muslim brothers and sisters. It marked the beginning of the president’s agenda of white supremacy and tearing families apart; an agenda that has taken this country lower and lower, every single day. We will not stand by and let the president and his immoral policies take hold. We will continue to take action to show that America is a place that for centuries, has welcomed immigrants, and we will not let this unjust ruling stop us.”
Today’s decision is yet another step backward in this administration’s retreat from the core values and policies which have animated our progress as a nation,” Joseph Fleming, Director of Catholic Organizing said. “We will continue to stand by our Muslim friends and family in this shameful moment. And we will continue to organize so that a spirit of hope and community will prevail over the shadow of fear and anxiety which currently infects the heart and soul of our nation.”
“It is unconscionable that the Supreme Court has decided against allowing our relatives into this country based upon where they come from or how they pray,” Rev. Ben McBride, PICO California Co-Director said. “The hatred unleashed on our communities continues to destroy families and impede Beloved Community. We unapologetically stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters; the ongoing assault on our sacred identities require our most vigilant resistance.”
“As people of faith, we believe in building bridges, not walls. The Supreme Court decision effectively allows racial profiling and religious discrimination against our sisters and brothers from the Middle East, who are just as much a part of our country’s cultural fabric as anyone else,” Joseph McKellar, PICO California Co-Director said. We will double down on our efforts to end all forms of scapegoating and to expand freedom for everyone, not restrict it based upon race or religion.”
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