Watson Coleman Statement on SCOTUS Decision Upholding Muslim Ban
Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Ranking Member of the Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, issued the following statement following the Supreme Court’s 5 to 4 decision to uphold President Trump’s Muslim ban:
“We will look back at today’s Supreme Court ruling in Hawaii v. Trump as a deeply shameful moment in our country’s history. The United States was founded as a nation of immigrants. The base of the Statue of Liberty, just a few hundred yards from Jersey City reads, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’ The United States has long been a beacon of hope, salvation and opportunity for those fleeing oppression, hardship and violence. To reject this legacy is to reject what it means to be American, and the outright hostility and persecution of immigrants and asylum seekers of all kinds by this White House is a rejection of the values we should strive for.
“The President’s travel ban, no matter what pretense used to validate it in court, is about discrimination. His statements on the campaign trail as well as those made by his staff at the White House have been clear: this is about banning Muslims from coming to our country, about the fear and stereotyping of the world’s second-largest faith. I strongly disagree with today’s ruling and will work with my colleagues to do whatever I can to stop this policy and any other that ignores the value of human life and importance of inclusion.”