Refugee Congress Implores Elected Leaders to Publicly Disavow Expansion of Discriminatory Travel Ban

December 18, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the White House issued a proclamation expanding the scope of its xenophobic, cruel, and unjust travel ban. We urge all elected leaders to uphold the rule of law and swiftly and full-throatedly condemn this latest assault on pathways to safety for forcibly displaced people.

Like each iteration that has preceded it, this travel ban unmistakably targets people from majority Black, brown, and Muslim nations – further restricting the freedom of movement of people from an additional 21 national origins on top of 19 already restricted national origins. 

This latest ban also removes vital exceptions for family reunification, cruelly separating loved ones and keeping people in harm’s way indefinitely. 

This discriminatory ban is an abdication of our nation’s legal and humanitarian commitments, and does nothing to make our country more secure. The people impacted by this policy are among the most urgently in need of pathways to lasting safety, and have already submitted to extensive vetting and surveillance. 

Our hearts ache for the people who will spend another holiday season separated from family members, and for the forcibly displaced people wondering whether the light at the end of this tunnel will ever get brighter. Our hearts also ache for the communities across the United States that will not be able to welcome new neighbors and share in the richness of their contributions.

We are all poorer when we let hate and fear lead the way. We call on all elected officials: condemn this xenophobic, racist, and unjust travel ban now.