ADC Welcomes Biden Reversal Of Arab And Muslim Ban; More Work Ahead

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) commends President-elect Joe Biden on the decision to reverse the Trump Administration’s Arab and Muslim Ban upon taking office on January 20. The Ban was the Trump Administration’s first of many racist, discriminatory and perverse immigration policies. The signing of the Ban in January of 2017 set the chaotic tone for his four years in office. The Biden Administration is fulfilling a Day 1 campaign promise and signaling a new direction on immigration law and policy, moving away from the Trump Administration’s draconian policies.

From the onset of the Ban we have fought daily for its termination, which could not have been done without your support. Over the past four years, we have worked directly with our community members who have been impacted by the Ban, at home and aboard, and tried our best to help during these dire and trying times. We advocated, organized, and used the legal system -- our collective efforts with our partners has led to this historic moment. Rest assured, we will not stop fighting. The reversal of the Ban is the first step; we need to ensure that no President in the future can implement such a policy again.

Full implementation of the reversal may take several months, and the Biden Administration must make this a priority. The Biden Administration will have procedural steps to take to ensure that all those previously impacted have recourse in reversing any adverse decision resulting from the Ban. ADC encourages the Biden Administration to review all cases denied over the past four years and provide an opportunity for the requests to proceed under the new order. It is imperative that the Biden Administration reviews and processes cases that are stuck in administrative processing. Additionally, ADC calls on the Biden Administration to process Diversity Visa Lottery winners from the past four years who were not granted visas due to the Ban.

The ADC Legal Department continues to offer support and guidance for those impacted by the Ban. If you are seeking legal assistance, please send an email to legal@adc.org.

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