Issue:

Muslim Advocates: National Vetting Center is a Nerve Center for Anti-Muslim Discrimination

Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Johnathan Smith, legal director of Muslim Advocates, regarding President Donald Trump’s memorandum establishing a “National Vetting Center:”

“This is the logical outgrowth of the administration’s dogged commitment to discriminating against Muslims.

The administration has deployed a vast and sophisticated web of policies and procedures to circumvent the Constitution’s promises of religious freedom and equal protection. Trump’s policies target Muslims abroad and attempt to obscure discrimination under opaque guidelines or proxies for religion.

This web has made traveling while Muslim much harder at every juncture, from visa application and processing, to airport profiling, to revocation of Trusted Traveler status, and invasive investigations of familial history and cell phones.  

This will be a nerve center for anti-Muslim discrimination, and we will closely watch its development.”

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

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