SLIDESHOW: Advocates Rally at the #NoMuslimBanEver March

By Gabe Cahn, HIAS.org

Oct 19, 2017

By the morning of Wednesday, October 18, two federal judges had already blocked the Trump administration’s latest travel restrictions from going into effect. But that didn’t stop the nearly 1,000 advocates and activists from showing up to voice their opposition to the repeated attempts to ban refugees and travelers from Muslim-majority countries.

Dozens of American Jews gathered with HIAS, Bend the Arc Jewish Action and several other organizations to participate together at the #NoMuslimBanEver rally in Lafayette Square across from the White House. Once there, the group joined the larger crowd and marched together in solidarity with the Muslim American community to demonstrate in front of Trump Hotel.

So inspired by this list of Jewish orgs gathering for the #NoMuslimBanEver march. To our Muslim brothers & sisters, we are with you. pic.twitter.com/tb8Mz5OO4r

— Michelle Reyf (@mreyf) October 18, 2017

In addition to opposing the Trump administration’s discriminatory immigration policies, those in attendance showed support for welcoming refugees from around the world. Outside Trump Hotel, HIAS Senior Director for Policy and Advocacy Naomi Steinberg spoke to i24 News about the ongoing battle both in court and on Capitol Hill to make sure refugees are allowed to find safety in the United States.

Second US judge blocks Trump travel ban @NuritBen @DanRaviv pic.twitter.com/sYhdNWGDPC

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) October 18, 2017

Following the decisions by the U.S. District Court Judges in Hawaii and Maryland this week, it’s likely the government will appeal. HIAS is an organizational plaintiff in the case that was brought in Maryland, International Refugee Assistance Project v. Trump.

Commenting on where the litigation goes from here, IRAP’s executive director, Becca Heller, told the New York Times that “it’s significant that the two judges who examined it found that the ban violated the law in several ways, which gives the appellate courts and ultimately the Supreme Court more options for striking it down.”

In the meantime, the fight to ensure that America remains a welcoming country continues.

As Mark Hetfield, HIAS' president and CEO, put it, “we are well-aware of the dangers of targeting a group because of their religious or ethnic background. We need to protest this administration’s unconscionable and unconstitutional acts not only in the courts, but in the streets as well.”

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SLIDESHOW: Advocates Rally at the #NoMuslimBanEver March

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