Businesses Speak Out Against the Court Decision Upholding Travel Ban
Washington, DC — Reacting to today’s announcement by the U.S. Supreme Court that it is upholding the Trump Administration’s travel and immigration restrictions for countries that have mostly Muslim populations, ASBC released a statement expressing disappointment. ASBC also called on Congress to reverse the ban through legislation. The following may be attributed to CEO Hammad Atassi:
“We are disappointed that the Supreme Court upheld the ban on travel and immigration from predominantly Muslim countries. Religion should not be a factor in determining who receives travel and immigration permission, any more than it should be used to decide who should be hired or promoted. We call on Congress to reverse the ban through legislation.
“When individuals are excluded for arbitrary reasons such as religion or race, we all suffer. Immigrants have proven their worth to our country, our businesses and our economy. It’s not just against American values to ban them, it also hurts America’s competitiveness and future prosperity.”
ASBC’s new CEO Hammad Atassi is an example of the value of
immigration to the United States. A U.S. citizen born in Syria,
he immigrated with his parents and three sisters in the early
1970s. His father, a Cardiologist, believed in the American dream
and sought a life of freedom for his family in a country where
everyone was equal under the law.
ASBC Board Member and Co-founder/Executive Director of
1worker1vote Michael A. Peck said, “America’s founding free
enterprise brand eschews government picking winners and losers in
the marketplace or at our borders. U.S. national security is best
served when America stands as primo entre pares for those seeking
and finding freedom and self-fulfillment, the pursuit of
happiness and exercising democracy. Racial and religious
profiling tax competitive commercial, socioeconomic,
geopolitical, cultural and human resources by imposing arbitrary
standards that are not market-driven. We risk turning into
prisoners of our own making in flagrant repudiation of this
country’s origin, self-denying freedoms of movement and
association with others who are prepared to brave everything to
make the journey and connect with us.”
Recently, ASBC launched a business sign-on statement opposing the separation of children from their families at the border. It says, in part, “As responsible businesses and investors, we are remiss if we don’t stand up for dignity and respect for all people. We cannot allow our government to abuse its role of protecting borders with deliberately harmful and damaging policies like its policy of separating children from families at the border.”