Los Angeles–In reaction to a revised executive order signed today by President Trump that now allows entry to Iraqis but continues to bar entry to Muslim nationals from six Muslim-majority countries, including refugees from Syria and elsewhere, Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur issued the following statement:
“President Donald Trump has slapped a wig and sunglasses on the same ugly, divisive executive order he attempted to issue a month ago and expects that neither the courts nor the public will recognize it for what it is: an unconstitutional, categorical denial of entry that is aimed at Muslims.
Under the guise of keeping our citizens safe from global terrorism, Trump is assaulting the very ideals and institutions on which our country was founded. His new executive order still emperils the lives not only of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and elsewhere, but also, by fanning the flames of anti-American sentiment, the lives of Americans here at home and abroad. The bias and fear-mongering on which he relies hearken back to the last time “America First” was used as a rallying cry to justify anti-Semitism and xenophobia, when millions of Americans had their loyalty questioned because of their ancestry or when immigration to the United States was closed to people who came from the “wrong” countries.
A categorical denial of entry to all Muslims from certain countries violates not only the Constitution and other federal law, but the basic concepts of fairness, decency and common goodness that are part of our DNA as Americans. We are confident that this abhorrent ban, like its predecessor, will be rejected by the judiciary.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society. Our mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance, and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California. Our mission includes advancing the health and well-being of LGBT Californians through direct healthcare service advocacy and education. Through electoral, advocacy, education and mobilization programs, we strive to create a broad and diverse alliance of LGBT people, educators, government officials, communities of color and faith, labor, business, and social justice communities to achieve our goals. www.eqca.org
