AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Supreme Court’s Muslim Ban Decision

WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten responding to the Supreme Court’s decision on President Trump’s Muslim ban:

“The Supreme Court’s conservative majority today codified the discriminatory and hateful intentions at the heart of President Trump’s Muslim ban. The president campaigned on a Muslim ban and enacted a Muslim ban, and the court can’t simply ignore the president’s rhetoric and promises in deciding this case. As Justice Breyer wrote in his dissent, ‘Based on the evidence in the record, a reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus. …The majority holds otherwise by ignoring the facts, misconstruing our legal precedent, and turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering the Proclamation inflicts upon countless families and individuals, many of whom are United States citizens.’ Trump’s discriminatory statements about Muslims are a violation of the First Amendment protections against religious discrimination and are reminiscent of what the country did during World War II with the internment of the Japanese.

“I am the granddaughter of immigrants who fled persecution to come to a nation committed to the values of freedom, decency and democracy. President Trump seems intent on shredding these values. He did it with the Muslim ban, and he continues to pursue a racist, nativist agenda to rile up his base.

“Today I am on our southern border with educators and labor and faith leaders, bringing books and supplies to children who have been ripped from their parents and caged because of the cruel, callous and inhumane policies President Trump promotes. Those of us who believe in decency and basic humanity must continue to speak out, act and vote, to create a check on Trump’s hateful policies and prevent the further erosion of our democracy.”