Joe Biden vows to abolish 'vile' Muslim travel ban on Day 1 if elected president
Joe Biden said Monday he would overturn on his first day in office President Donald Trump’s travel ban that initially targeted Muslim-majority countries.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, said Muslims were the first to suffer attacks under the Trump administration the led to kids being bullied in school and an increase in hate crimes. Biden said Trump appointed unnamed key leaders in the Defense Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development despite their open Islamophobia.
“Donald Trump has fanned the flames of hate in this country across the board through his words, his policies, his appointments, his deeds and he continues to fan those flames,” the former vice president said. “Under this administration, we’ve seen an unconscionable rise in Islamophobia.”
The Trump campaign said faith is an important component of the president's efforts to rebuild the country and outreach to Muslims is included. Amid the pandemic, the Trump campaign said religion is essential for providing critical fellowship among communities.
“President Trump understands that our faith is what unites us as a nation," said Courtney Parella, a campaign spokeswoman. "He has and will continue to staunchly defend religious freedoms for all Americans.”
Biden's comments came in a speech to Emgage Action, an advocacy group for Muslim Americans, during a day of meetings when the group vowed to bring 1 million voters to the polls on Nov. 3. The group's chairman, Khurrum Wahid, said the plan is to deliver swing states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida to support Biden.
“We want to partner with you to fix the societal harm of this Trump presidency,” Wahid said.
During Trump’s first month in office in January 2017, the president restricted travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. The restrictions were altered during a series of court challenges, with the addition of countries such as North Korea and Venezuela, and eventually upheld by the Supreme Court. Six more countries were added in January. Trump argued that the restrictions were for national security against terrorism.
“Muslim communities were the first to feel Donald Trump’s assault on Black and brown communities in this country with his vile Muslim ban,” Biden said. “That fight was the opening barrage in what has been nearly four years of constant pressure and insults, and attacks against Muslim American communities.”
Biden also said he would work with Congress on legislation to discourage hate crimes and to abolish religious and racial profiling by authorities. Biden said he would seek Muslims to serve in his administration.
“He’s making a mockery of what we stand for,” Biden said of Trump. “We can do something about it. I’m here today to ask you to join me in the fight to rip this poison from the government root and stem, or as the famous case said, root and branch.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden vows to overturn President Trump's 'vile' Muslim travel ban
