Colorado Politics

Judiciary Committee adopts Neguse amendment to end African visa ban

In a markup in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee last week, members approved an amendment from U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse to the NO BAN Act that would overturn President Donald Trump’s executive order from January to restrict visas to four African countries.

“Each version of President Trump’s travel ban runs counter to our American values, counter to our nation’s founding, and counter to our morality and humanity,” said the Boulder County Democrat. As the only Eritrean-American in Congress, Neguse added that Congress previously eliminated country-based bans because they were discriminatory.

Trump’s Presidential Proclamation 9983 would halt immigrant or diversity visas to Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania, plus Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar. The restrictions do not apply to tourism or business travel. The order was the latest in a series of visa bans dating to January 2017, when Trump issued a temporary ban on entry for seven Muslim-majority countries and on all refugees.

The NO BAN Act, from U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., would limit the president’s ability to suspend immigration and terminate other immigrant-related executive orders. The bill would also prevent religious discrimination in immigration decisions.

While the proposal would not eliminate the ability of the executive branch to curtail international migration, such restrictions would need to relate to “specific acts” that could threaten public safety, for which the U.S. departments of state and homeland security would need to show “specific evidence.”

Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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