ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE CONDEMNS NEW TRAVEL BAN
STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2025
CONTACT:
James Woo, media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Aleisha Flores, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Liza Ameen, lameen@ajsocal.org
Grace Pai, gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org
ATLANTA, GA – Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a network of four independent Asian American civil rights organizations, strongly condemns the Trump administration’s latest travel ban targeting immigrants and travelers from 19 countries — most of which are African, Asian, and Muslim-majority nations. The ban, announced under the pretense of national security, represents a sweeping restriction affecting millions of potential travelers and separating countless families.
The travel ban will go into effect on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 12:01 am. It bars entry to the United States from twelve countries—including Afghanistan, Burma (also known as Myanmar), Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—and imposes additional restrictions on nationals from seven other countries, including Laos.
This policy is a dangerous revival of discriminatory bans that stigmatize entire nations and communities. It is especially outrageous that the list includes countries that are already affected by the refugee ban and cancellation of Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole. Trump's new travel ban is the latest of several attempts to target our communities in his larger agenda to stigmatize and end immigration and refugee resettlement. These efforts echo and reinforce a long history of xenophobic exclusion, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to Japanese American incarceration. Our communities’ lives and freedoms are not political bargaining chips.
John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Advancing Justice - AAJC said: "Just as we advocated against the 2017 Muslim Ban, Asian Americans Advancing Justice strongly condemns this discriminatory order. It's a politically motivated attack on immigration and refugee resettlement, designed to stigmatize communities under false pretenses of 'national security.'"
“Immigration is not a crime—it’s a human right. We have a moral and legal duty to protect families fleeing war, persecution, and violence, especially when U.S. foreign policy and military activity plays a driving role in their displacement.” Said Murtaza Khwaja, Executive Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. “This ban doesn’t make us safer—it makes us smaller."
“It is imperative to remember that travel bans and policies like this criminalize people - not countries or their leadership. This proclamation will not only tear families apart, it will also further isolate and endanger individuals fleeing violence and death.” Said Connie Chung Joe, Chief Executive Officer at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), “For decades, we have worked tirelessly to defend the right of all immigrants to seek safety and better lives in the United States. We will not be deterred."
This executive action will once again tear families apart, deny educational and economic opportunities, foster a climate of suspicion and fear, and increase discrimination against communities of color. It grants immigration officials enormous discretion with little transparency or accountability, increasing the risk of profiling and unjust visa denials. The travel ban will increase complications for international travel at ports of entry and impact international travellers, regardless of whether individuals are citizens of the targeted countries or not.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice reaffirms its strong opposition to travel bans and all discriminatory immigration policies. Our affiliation remains committed to working in coalition with immigrant, refugee, and civil rights communities to resist xenophobic actions and demand inclusive and humane immigration practices. We call on Congress and the administration to immediately rescind this unjust travel ban and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to justice, equity, and human dignity.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of four leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation's members are: Advancing Justice | AAJC (Washington, DC), Advancing Justice - SOCAL, Advancing Justice - Atlanta, and Advancing Justice - Chicago.
