AHRC applauds House passage of No Ban Act
AHRC Welcomes the Symbolism of the Passage of the House’s No Ban Act, Urges More Sustained Immigration Advocacy for Real Change: The American Human rights Council (AHRC-USA) welcomes the US House of Representatives’ passage of the No Ban Act- H.R. 2486.
President Trump claimed that the Congress has enabled him in the statutes it passed to limit immigration from any country he designates. The Supreme Court of the US validated his position.
The recently passed house bill modifies the law to limit presidential authority as to measures such as the Muslim Ban. There is no doubt that the Travel Ban was a thinly veiled Muslim Ban. It stood against American values and the spirit of American law. People have demanded a repeal and such a basic step proved that it can be done.
Imad Hamad, Executive Director of the American Human Rights Council
It is important to know that this is a symbolic step.
We have a bicameral legislative branch and the Senate has to act on the issue before the wheels of the legislative process start moving toward enacting a new law. However, no one can underestimate the symbolic value of this step.
The reality is we are not going to have immigration reform in the near future. There is no action in the Senate on this matter. Without both chambers of Congress working together, no laws can be passed. AHRC hopes that the US Senate would consider a similar bill and other much needed immigration reforms. We see our immigration system as problematic and we urge legislators to get the process started by working together to overhaul the system to be fair to all stakeholders.
“A cynic would question why this step was not taken as soon as the Democrats took over the House and would also question the timing as too convenient and expedient for the upcoming elections,” said Imad Hamad, AHRC Executive Director. “However, symbolism is important,” added Hamad. “We urge both parties to deal with immigration in a nonpartisan manner with the core concern being human rights, the country’s values and the national interests of the country,” continued Hamad. “There is no doubt that immigrants help make this country a better country for all of us, Democrats and Republicans,” concluded Hamad.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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