While President Donald Trump tweeted “Wow!” in reaction to the Supreme Court upholding his Muslim travel ban Tuesday, many New York City politicians had less joyous responses to the news.
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2018
“This ban is institutionalized Islamophobia, promoted under the guise of national security,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “Banning people from our country on the basis of religion is an affront to our founding ideals. With this decision, the highest court in the land has sent a message of exclusion and division across the globe. As our president tries to build walls, New York City will continue to welcome people from all over the world to our shores, from all faith traditions. Our values have helped make our city the safest big city in the United States — and they are what make America great.”
In a statement, state Attorney General Barbara Underwood called Trump’s travel ban “a stain on American history that were rooted in deep anti-Muslim animus and unleashed chaos on families, businesses, institutions and communities throughout New York. Despite today’s ruling, New York will continue to serve as a beacon to the world, welcoming people of all faiths, races, nationalities and backgrounds.”
The state attorney general’s office led coalitions of its counterparts from other states to fight previous Trump administration travel bans that target Muslim-majority countries, and Underwood said her office “won’t hesitate to act to protect New York’s families and ensure that we live up to the values on which this state and this nation were built.”
City Comptroller Scott Stringer also said in a statement Trump’s Muslim ban is a stain that “will be remembered alongside other racist and reprehensible decisions. I stand with Muslim communities throughout New York — and our country — to condemn the ban. We will continue to fight back today and every day for our constitutional values and religious freedom.”
Public Advocate Tish James also vowed via Twitter that the city will “never stop fighting to protect all people in New York, regardless of race, religion or background.”
And now #SCOTUS has ruled that the President has the power to carry out racist and hateful policies with a #MuslimBan. Despite these dangerous decisions, we’ll never stop fighting to protect all people in New York, regardless of race, religion, or background.
— Tish James (@TishJames) June 26, 2018
In a tweet, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called the Supreme Court’s decision “a mistake” and “a discriminatory policy, period. The policy came out of Trump’s stated desire to achieve ‘a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.’”
This is a mistake. It’s a discriminatory policy, period.
The policy came out of Trump’s stated desire to achieve “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
As Maya Angelou said, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
#NoMuslimBanEver https://t.co/aH99XGGk6l— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) June 26, 2018
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz tweeted that the Supreme Court “has been on the wrong side of history before. History will judge this decision just as harshly.”
#SCOTUS has been on the wrong side of history before. History will judge this decision just as harshly. Yet again, state-sanctioned #xenophobia and #discrimination.
— Melinda Katz (@MelindaKatz) June 26, 2018
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling Tuesday held that challengers to the Muslim travel ban did not show it violates U.S. immigration law or the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment prohibition on the government supporting one religion over others.
The current travel ban, which was announced in September, prohibits most people from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Yemen and Libya from entering the U.S. Tuesday’s ruling could result in the ban expanding to additional countries.
Trump first issued a version of the Muslim travel ban a week after he took office in January 2017.
