Dems introduce bill to repeal Trump ‘Muslim ban’

Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) on Wednesday introduced legislation to end President Trump’s ban on travelers to the United States from five Muslim-majority countries.

The legislation, known as the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act, “repeals the three versions of President Trump’s Muslim ban, strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans,” its sponsors said in a statement.

{mosads}They added that the measure is supported by more than 90 lawmakers and hundreds of civil rights, faith, national security and community organizations, as well as private companies.

“President Trump’s Muslim Ban is a hateful policy, born from bigotry, that denies both our country and millions of aspiring Americans a better future,” Chu said in the statement.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a co-sponsor of the bill, first referenced the legislation Tuesday on Twitter.

“I ran on a promise to end the President’s hateful Muslim ban,” said Omar, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. “No one should be denied basic rights because of their religion, race or national origin. #NoBanAct.”

I ran on a promise to end the President’s hateful Muslim ban.

And tomorrow we will introduce a bill do just that. No one should be denied basic rights because of their religion, race or national origin. #NoBanAct ✊

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 9, 2019

The measure is also co-sponsored by all the senators in the Democratic field of presidential candidates.

Coons said Wednesday on MSNBC “Morning Joe” that the legislation “would prevent this president or a future president from imposing a similar religiously based ban on folks coming into this country, narrowing his powers.”

WATCH: Sen. Coons discusses a bill he will introduce today that would prevent presidents from imposing religious bans on immigration like the Muslim ban, and he also discusses the Mueller report on @Morning_Joe. https://t.co/rwtovBCzEz

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 10, 2019

Trump and the White House argue the travel ban is not a Muslim ban. The policy prevents travelers from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen from entering the U.S., and the administration argues it is necessary to protect national security.

Trump’s third executive order issuing the ban was upheld in a 5-4 ruling by the Supreme Court last year.

The majority opinion, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, said Trump was well within his authority to impose the ban based on the president’s judgments about national security. Roberts wrote that it was not the court’s place to criticize or pass judgment on comments Trump made on the campaign trail about a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” and that the executive order was neutral in not targeting travelers of a specific religion.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor lashed out at the court’s majority, arguing Trump’s comments targeting Muslims should have led the justices to strike down the ban.

Legislation introduced to overturn the ban is unlikely to become law with Trump in the White House and Republicans holding a majority in the Senate.

“This is not a bill that I expect to become law in this administration,” Coons acknowledged on MSNBC.

Updated at 12:28 p.m.