The Arab American Civic Council (AACC) strongly opposes President Trump’s expanded travel ban. This latest expansion increases the ban from 19 countries to 40 total country designations, including the addition of 15 countries placed under partial restrictions. This discriminatory policy overwhelmingly targets African, Arab, and Muslim-majority nations, relying on broad, racialized justifications that treat entire populations as inherent security threats.
The administration’s actions continue a practice of collective punishment, branding millions of people – students, workers, families, and refugees – as potential terrorists, criminals, or dangers solely based on nationality. While the administration claims it is acting to “protect its citizens from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten national security, or exploit immigration laws for malevolent purposes,” this framing obscures a fundamental reality: the vast majority of affected individuals are seeking lawful entry, have complied with immigration requirements, and have already undergone extensive screening processes.
The AACC is particularly alarmed by the ban’s impact on communities affected by ongoing war and genocide, especially Palestinians, Yemenis, Syrians, and Sudanese – among many others. Individuals holding Palestinian Authority–issued travel documents have long faced displacement, siege, and settler violence. Now, the Trump administration is further criminalizing these civilians by casting them broadly as potential security threats. Rather than responding to humanitarian collapse with care, protection, and lawful pathways, the administration has chosen to deepen isolation and punish civilians, many of whom are already enduring family separation, displacement, and extraordinary hardship.
The humanitarian consequences of this ban are severe. It risks separating families, delaying or denying reunification, and disrupting the lives of students, workers, business owners, and refugees – despite their full compliance with U.S. immigration law.
Beyond those seeking entry, the expanded ban will have a chilling effect on targeted communities already living in the United States. Policies that single out communities based on nationality, race, or religion foster fear, strain family unity, and reinforce the message that Black and Brown immigrants are perpetually viewed as suspect.
The AACC calls on Congress to intervene immediately and on the courts to block the implementation of this discriminatory policy.
The United States must reject fear-driven immigration policies that undermine constitutional protections and international human rights norms, and instead pursue policies grounded in fairness, due process, and human dignity.
