June 26, 2018

Duckworth Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Preserve Trump's Discriminatory Travel Ban

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Donald Trump’s discriminatory ban that limits travel from certain Muslim-majority countries:

“This decision on Donald Trump’s ill-conceived and misguided travel ban does not reflect the American ideals that I love and fought to defend. The America that I know is not a nation that slams its doors on children and families fleeing barbarism or terror. We cannot be a nation that rushes to discriminate against religious groups, especially when doing so puts our troops serving overseas at greater risk than they already face.

“The America that I know and am proud to have served in uniform is a nation that welcomes immigrants and refugees and defends the human rights of all people, no matter their religion, ethnicity or nationality. History will harshly judge today’s ruling.”

Following President Trump's "travel ban" executive order last January, Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) independent Office of Inspector General (OIG) requesting an investigation into the federal government's chaotic and potentially illegal implementation of the ban. DHS OIG granted the Senators' request and launched an investigation, resulting in the release of an 87-page report that found the Trump Administration violated multiple court orders, likely deprived travelers of their constitutional rights and failed to provide any warning or basic guidance to the agency charged with carrying out the President’s executive order.

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