HIAS Responds to Trump Administration’s New Travel Ban Restrictions

SILVER SPRING, Md.—In response to the Trump administration’s new travel restrictions released on Sunday, September 24, Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees, issued the following statement:

“These restrictions reflect the arbitrary and discriminatory approach this administration has taken toward immigration policy from day one. Make no mistake, an indefinite ban which presumes someone is a threat simply because of their religion or nationality will always run contrary to the equality we seek to see in America. HIAS and our supporters will continue to oppose measures that unfairly target immigrants and refugees, because we know the United States is at its best when it welcomes newcomers.

“There would not be an American Jewish community if these kinds of restrictions existed during the first part of the 20th century, and while this most recent order does not impact refugee resettlement in the United States, it’s certainly a troubling sign for the direction we’re headed.”

HIAS is a plaintiff in International Refugee Assistance Project v. Trump, one of the cases challenging the March 6 executive order, which is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on October 10.

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