Dear friend,

On behalf of the team at Muslim Advocates, I’m honored to share some important and welcome news. You may know that for years we and our partners have been litigating against the U.S. government on behalf of people across the U.S. who remain wrongfully separated from loved ones because of the Muslim Ban. In a major step forward this week, the court granted the case class-action status and severely criticized the U.S. government for its scandalous conduct in the case. 

We’re disappointed the court excluded certain visa applicants from the case, but we’re still thrilled that thousands of people stand to benefit from this decision. As the practical implications of the decision are worked out in the coming weeks, we express our deepest gratitude for the heart, energy, and perseverance of our lead plaintiffs and all of the offices and organizations representing them together with us, including (in alphabetical order): Arnold & Porter, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, Council on American-Islamic Relations – California, the Iranian-American Bar Association, Lotfi Legal, the National Immigration Law Center, and Perkins Coie LLP. 

Our Client Bamshad Azizi (center) along with legal counsel from Muslim Advocates, Lotfi Legal, Council on American-Islamic Relations – California, Iranian American Bar Association, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, National Immigration Law Center, Arnold & Porter, and Perkins Coie LLP

In these very rough times, we’re happy to be able to share good news with you. Given the governmental harm our communities so often face, including at the hands of courts, we welcome judicial decisions like this one that call out the government for being “careless and obstructive” and “wholly unjust” and for “hobbl[ing] the fair administration of justice.”

We could not have gotten this far without the dedication of our plaintiffs and our partners, including you. Consider making a gift to help us keep fighting for a decisive end to the devastating legacies of the Muslim Ban. 

This legal victory, potentially enabling thousands of our community members nationwide to reunite with their loved ones, offers us needed hope this Ramadan. We’ll share more in the coming months about this lawsuit.