Virginia Rep. Don Beyer today issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Trump v. Hawaii: “I believe that the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Donald Trump’s Muslim ban will go down as one of the worst mistakes in the Court’s history. Chief Justice Roberts and the Justices who concurred in his opinion chose to intentionally overlook the obvious animus of bigotry which was the sole motivation for every iteration of the Muslim ban.”
“It is clear in hindsight that prejudice was the inspiration behind every Muslim ban. To this day none of the bans has produced any substantive process changes to how the country admits travelers and immigrants beyond simply preventing people from certain races or religions the ability to come to the United States. Justice Sotomayor was exactly right to point out that ‘a reasonable observer would conclude that the proclamation was driven primarily by anti-Muslim animus.’
“This historically awful decision is the direct result of Senate Republicans’ theft of a seat on the Supreme Court from President Obama, which remains one of the most shameful and destructive political events in my lifetime.
“Last year I introduced legislation, the Freedom of Religion Act, which would end Trump’s Muslim bans and bar him from preventing anyone from entering the country solely on the basis of their religion. Today I call for Congress to pass my bill and reject Donald Trump’s religious bigotry once and for all.”
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia also released the following statement on the decision: “I’m disappointed that the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s discriminatory travel ban. President Trump’s intentions with this ban are clear: to stoke fear, perpetuate stereotypes, and make our immigration policy more about politics than national security. Discriminating against individuals based on their religion or country of origin without evidence that the person poses a national security threat doesn’t make us any safer, and it undermines our core values. Congress should pass legislation to revoke this ban.”
