- The House passed a bill on Wednesday aimed at reversing President Donald
Trump 'stravel ban from several Muslim-majority countries. - Deemed the "NO BAN Act," the legislation would impose limitations on the president's authority to suspend the entry of certain travelers and prohibit religious discrimination on immigration-related decisions.
- Trump sparked intense backlash when he issued the executive order within the first week of his presidency.
- The order was blocked in multiple courts, but ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2018.
- The House vote to repeal the ban was initially scheduled for March but had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The House passed a bill on Wednesday to reverse President Donald Trump's controversial executive order that bans entry of people from several Muslim-majority countries into the United States.
The legislation, called the NO Ban Act, was approved in a 233-183 vote, mostly along party lines.
"It gives me great pride to rise in support of the NO Ban Act," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). "The White House has tried to wrap their hateful policy up in a false story about national security, but we know the truth."
—Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) July 22, 2020
The House bill would limit the president's authority on immigration-related decisions, including prohibiting religious discrimination when issuing visas to foreigners. It would also terminate certain restrictions imposed on people traveling to the U.S. from primarily Muslim countries.
Though Democratic lawmakers celebrated the bill's passage, the legislation is unlikely to be considered in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Congressional attempt to repeal Trump's executive order comes three years after he issued the ban during his first week in office. Trump immediately faced immense backlash: both Republicans and Democrats denounced the travel restriction, civil rights groups filed lawsuits and tens of thousands Americans flooded U.S. airports and cities in protest.
Trump's initial travel ban was blocked by multiple courts, but its third version was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote in June 2018.
The House bill, introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), was initially scheduled for a vote in March but had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As recently as January of this year, Trump extended the ban to seven more countries, including Nigeria and Sudan.
The ban has imposed travel restrictions on more than 100 million people coming from Syria, Yemen, Iran, Somalia and other countries in Asia and Africa.
The restriction was the first of many to come under Trump's immigration agenda, which he touted on the 2016 campaign trail. In one of his latest policies, Trump suspended the issuing of H1-B and other visas to foreign workers for the rest of 2020.
Trump has heavily defended the travel ban, saying it serves in the interests of national security and public safety, a stance that many Republicans later rallied around and echoed on the House floor on Wednesday.
Former Vice President Joe Biden announced earlier this week during a virtual conference hosted by Emgage Action, the country's largest Muslim-American political group, that if elected, he would undo the travel ban through executive power on day one of his presidency.