A coalition of civil rights and immigration organizations staged a demonstrations outside the White House to press their opposition to travel ban against citizens of mostly Muslim majority countries.
The organizers called the demonstration #NoMuslimBanEver and participants came from different backgrounds including interfaith communities.
The protest took place the same day a federal judge in Maryland halted enforcement of the third version of the travel ban on grounds that the measure was discriminatory.
President Donald Trump had first introduced the ban against citizens of seven Muslim majority countries through an executive order, arguing that the 90-day suspension period would give time to the Administration time to streamline immigration and security measures to keep America safe from terrorist attacks.
But on Wednesday, the protestors said irrespective of the two federal judges – in Hawaii and Maryland – stopping the enforcement of the third iteration of the ban, they could continue to voice their opposition to it since the ban in its latest form is indefinite.
The latest version of the travel ban on citizens from the listed countries with no bona fide relationship in the United States was to go into effect on Wednesday.
The demonstrators, displaying American flags and placards, marched from Lafayette Square, next to the White House, to nearby Trump International Hotel to register their protest.
Meanwhile, the Trump Administration contends that the latest measure is not a Muslim travel ban as the countries whose citizens face restrictions on entry to the United States include Chad, North Korea and Venezuela in addition to people from Iran, Libya, Somalia and Syria.
The Administration has said it would fight the two latest court decisions blocking enforcement of the measure.
Commenting on federal judge Watson’s decision in Hawaii on blocking the latest version of the travel ban, the White House said the “dangerously flawed district court order undercuts the President’s efforts to keep the American people safe and enforce minimum security standards for entry into the United States.”
“The Department of Justice will vigorously defend the President’s lawful action,” the statement said, adding the proclamation restricting travel was issued after an extensive worldwide security review by the Secretary of Homeland Security, and following consultation by the President with members of the Cabinet, including the Secretaries of Homeland Security, State, and Defense and the Attorney General.
“The entry restrictions in the proclamation apply to countries based on their inability or unwillingness to share critical information necessary to safely vet applications, as well as a threat assessment related to terrorism, instability, and other grave national security concerns.
“These restrictions are vital to ensuring that foreign nations comply with the minimum security standards required for the integrity of our immigration system and the security of our Nation. We are therefore confident that the Judiciary will ultimately uphold the President’s lawful and necessary action and swiftly restore its vital protections for the safety of the American people,” the White House statement added.
