Faith groups denounce travel bans as contrary to values
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition, which counts the PC(USA) as a member, denounces travel bans and restrictions announced this week
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump again invoked national security to declare new travel bans and restrictions impacting 19 nations, which will disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of close family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents as well as countless non-immigrant visa applicants.
A failed policy of the first Trump administration, prejudicial travel bans led to historically significant litigation and an outpouring of moral opposition from faith communities. While in office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order targeted toward “ending discriminatory bans on entry to the United States.”
Amid a nationwide deportation campaign, President Trump has continued to espouse anti-migrant and inflammatory language. Polling by the National Immigration Forum and the Bullfinch Group shows that Americans strongly prefer political candidates who focus on solutions for our immigration system rather than employ negative rhetoric about immigrants. People of faith believe all human beings are created in the image of God. This core belief underpins opposition to sweeping bans that categorize immigrants and travelers to the U.S. as potential threats to the American public.
Among those taking issue with the most recent travel ban and restrictions is the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Director of Advocacy for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
“Under the first Trump administration, multiple iterations of travel bans were issued in 2017 targeting Arab and Muslim countries. In its second term, the administration continues to repeatedly attack refugees, asylum seekers, and our non-Christian siblings in faith, causing prolonged family separation, undermining our moral and legal obligations to the most vulnerable, and discriminating against people based on their faith or nationality,” Hawkins said. “Presbyterians have a long history of globally working alongside, supporting, and standing in solidarity with our siblings of diverse cultures, ethnic backgrounds and faith context. We stand firm in the continuation of this commitment and denounce any efforts from the current administration to restrict travel and access to the United States based on faith tradition or nationality.”
“The travel ban imposed by President Trump during his first term in office was a horrendous mistake. This one is no better,” says Katherine Rehberg, Chief Operating Officer at Church World Service. “By closing the door to people seeking to enter this country through legal pathways, the administration is yet again turning its back on our nation’s tradition of welcome, abandoning our commitment to families fleeing conflict and persecution, and denying us the overwhelming benefits that these populations bring to our country. We lose culture, innovation, and economic vitality. We lose the courage, creativity and sense of community that newcomers bring with them. And we lose our own understanding of America’s place in the world as the brightest beacon for those seeking safety and opportunity.”
Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said, “The proposed blanket travel ban is unethical, counterproductive, and antithetical to our Jewish and American values. The recent attack in Boulder highlights the very real danger of antisemitism, which policymakers must take seriously — however, we reject the Trump administration’s attempts to weaponize antisemitism as a means to alienate and scapegoat our Muslim siblings. This travel ban is also serving as a distraction from the current budget reconciliation process, which is an immoral transfer of wealth, and includes egregious cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and social welfare services that millions of Americans rely on in exchange for funding mass deportation efforts.”
“Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) seeks to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, whose ministry connected people across lines of difference, including language and culture,” said Ann Graber-Hershberger, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee U.S. “This new travel ban, discriminating solely on place of birth, will unnecessarily limit travel to the U.S. and hinder important opportunities for collaboration and mutual learning.”
Walter Ruby, President of JAMAAT (Jews and Muslims and Allies Acting Together) stated, "We learned from the first Trump Administration's Muslim Bans 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 that blanket nationality-based bans, aimed largely at majority-Muslim countries, are based more on prejudice than on any bona fide national security threat. Sweeping national origin-based bans on travel are an extraordinarily overbroad mechanism of exclusion, never previously used in the ways employed by the first Trump administration or warranted for any legitimate purpose, which have a devastating humanitarian impact on individuals and families, as well as on business needs and U.S. relations with the rest of the world.”
“Jewish tradition is clear: We are obligated to welcome the stranger, an imperative that appears no less than 36 times in the Torah, said Talya Steinberg, Associate Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, National Council of Jewish Women. “This tradition and our faith compel us to protect the vulnerable, and speak out against policies that sow fear and hatred — the very same forces our own community has endured. As Jews, we know too well the devastating consequences of barring entry based on faith or national origin. This travel ban will not make Americans safer. Rather, it would tear families and communities apart and undermine the values meant to make our country a haven for all who see safety and security here.”
The Proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The Proclamation also partially restricts and limits the entry of nationals from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Including the PC(USA), the Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of more than 56 national faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, the Coalition works to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow the Interfaith Immigration Coalition on X: @interfaithimm
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