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CAIR-Chicago Applauds President Joe Biden’s Plan for Repealing Muslim Ban

CAIR-Chicago Airport Project, Only One of its kind Nationally

(CHICAGO, IL, 1/20/2021) - The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, today applauds President Joe Biden who is set to repeal the discriminatory Muslim Ban put in place by the Trump Administration, on his first day of office as promised.

Feature Story Opportunity: CAIR-Chicago's TAP (Traveler’s Assistance Project) founded days after the Muslim Ban remains as the only functioning full time pro bono airport legal assistance project in the United States that is dedicated to helping Muslim travelers and others affected by the Muslim ban. With a focus on Chicago’s O’Hare airport, TAP led by Sufyan Sohel has helped over a thousand families. Sufyan and families available for interviews.

SEE: Traveler’s Assistance Project (TAP) Website

Former President Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban was one of the first executive orders he signed when taking office in 2017. The ban prevented citizens from overwhelmingly Muslim countries (including Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia) plus North Korea, and Venezuela from entering the United States. The Muslim Ban was constantly challenged by civil rights groups; In 2018, the third version, or Muslim Ban 3.0. made its way to U.S. Supreme Court, only to upheld as constitutional. In January 2020, the Ban expanded to Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.

SEE: CAIR-Chicago Issues Statement Disapproving of Supreme Court Decision Regarding Muslim Ban

"Trump’s Muslim ban was political red meat thrown to his base and had zilch to do with national security. If faith, national origin or place of birth is your threat determinator, rather than hard intelligence, then you are selling Kool Aid while hurting million of real families," said Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director. "Big kudos to President Biden for promising to repeal the racist executive order by his first day of office. Changing laws is one thing, changing culture is another. Now we need to change the airport discriminatory culture, along with the racist order. I stood two hours at baggage claim the other day, and almost every person funneled to secondary screening had a Muslim appearance. This won’t stop overnight with a signature, but we mustn’t rest till it does"

In response to the Muslim Ban in early 2017, CAIR-Chicago launched the Travelers Assistance Project (TAP), to help travelers detained or denied entry at the border. Its 24/7 hotline allows those traveling, or their loved ones, to contact an on-call lawyer to provide travel guidance or for assistance if facing trouble when entering the U.S. CAIR-Chicago is not expecting a decrease in detainments despite the shift in administrations, as trends have been increasing since Trump sowed xenophobic rhetoric into American nationalist culture.

“Over the last four years, we have had thousands of community members – of all races and religions – contact us seeking our help for themselves or family members due to lengthy questioning, detention, or denial of entry by U.S. officials at O’Hare airport” said Sufyan Sohel, CAIR-Chicago Deputy Director & Counsel, Sufyan Sohel. “With the stroke of a pen, Donald Trump told Muslims, and so many others, that we were not welcome in our own country, and instilled so much fear and uncertainty into our hearts and minds. We welcome the Biden Administration's fulfillment of his commitment to repeal the Muslim Ban and other discriminatory policies."

SEE: Travelers Assistance Project (TAP)

CAIR-Chicago is the Chicago Chapter of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Our mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.

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CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, 202-870 0166, arehab@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Saadia Pervaiz, 312-212-1520, spervaiz@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Hannah Faris, 312-212-1520, hfaris@cair.com