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National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act

Floor Speech

Date: April 21, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Executive Branch Religion Immigration

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Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I would like to begin just by correcting the understanding, I think, from the gentleman from Kentucky, who tried to align President Obama's temporary suspension of the Visa Waiver Program in foreign and southern countries with Donald Trump's complete suspension of visas.

As one of the two U.S. Ambassadors to serve in this Chamber at the moment, I presided over 4 years of consular affairs. And the Visa Waiver Program is when you are allowed to get into a country without the deep background checks, without going through Homeland Security.

This is not what Donald Trump did. He suspended visas completely.

By the way, this is not about the southern border. I don't believe there is a single Muslim country south of the Rio Grande in the Western Hemisphere.

Six years ago, then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump argued for a complete and total Muslim ban. Remember, he didn't specify specific countries; he said no Muslims.

I quickly produced a bill, the Freedom of Religion Act, to prohibit discrimination in our immigration system on the basis of religious belief, and I rushed to Dulles Airport after the inauguration as the ban was implemented, and many were stuck in limbo. I never expected that such an openly bigoted policy would be so intentionally executed, especially knowing the economic and reputational effects.

Billions of people around the world were stunned by this destruction of the American ideal as a beacon of freedom.

My bill then became part of Judy Chu's very thoughtful NO BAN Act, and I am proud to champion it. As reckless and thoughtless and cruel as the Muslim ban is, this bill is the opposite. It is a thoughtful way to ensure that a future President cannot simply use racism or religions discrimination as a basis for keeping individuals from entering the United States.

We cannot erase the dark stain on our country's history left by Donald Trump's Muslim ban, but we can prevent it from happening again.

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