Minnesota Muslim community concerned about President Trump's travel ban

Minnesota Muslim community concerned about Trump travel ban

President Donald Trump’s extensive travel ban went into effect on Monday. Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the U.S., and they’re concerned about what the limitations mean going forward.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - President Donald Trump’s new travel ban went into effect on Monday.

CAIR Minnesota says it will offer "Know Your Rights" presentations to members of the local Somali Muslim community who have questions about the ban.

‘This is about family separation’

What we know:

For Minnesota's Muslim community and its allies, President Trump's new travel ban is a cause for concern.

CAIR leaders denounce President Trump's travel ban [RAW]

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota) held a news conference Monday afternoon to denounce President Donald Trump’s newly implemented travel and immigration ban affecting 19 countries — primarily Muslim-majority, African, and Southeast Asian nations. The executive order goes into effect Monday, June 9.

"What we know is that this is not about security. It's a continuation of the anti-Muslim and particularly the anti-African ban," said Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Minnesota.

Presidential politics?

The backstory:

The executive order which went into effect on Monday affects citizens from a dozen countries, including Somalia, and adds tighter restrictions on travelers from seven other countries.

CAIR says Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the United States, and it has already heard from members of the Somali community worried about the new regulations.

"The ban is carefully crafted to hide its true and evident intent, which is to discriminate based on religion, race, and nationality," said Munira Mohamed, policy associate for the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

During the presidential election, exit polling shows more than half of Muslim voters voted for third party candidate Jill Stein, 21& voted for Trump, while 20% voted for Kamala Harris.

CAIR says many Muslims don't regret their decisions in the voting booth because of the Biden administration's stance on Gaza.
"Banning and bombing are not the same thing. We knew that Muslims in America may suffer more because of this administration. We understood that that was a risk we were willing to take to save the lives of children in Gaza and to end the war," said Hussein.

‘We are not going to go quietly’

What they're saying:

CAIR is asking community members, elected officials and neighbors to condemn the travel ban and support the No Ban Act, which would keep future presidents from enacting similar restrictions.

"This ban cannot stand. It does not protect our neighbors. In fact, it creates a more racist and non-inclusive society," said Hussein.