CHICAGO – Today, the Obama Administration announced that it is officially terminating NSEERS (National Security Entry-Exit Registration System), a program set up by the Bush Administration after 9/11 that profiled and discriminated against immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries. In response, People’s Action released this statement:
“We commend the Obama administration for ending the discriminatory and ineffective NSEERS program, a holdover from the Bush Administration that monitored, interrogated and destroyed thousands of immigrant families based solely on their national origin and religious background. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly advocated for a Muslim registry, and at least one of his advisers has called for the reinstatement of NSEERS as a primary tool for profiling immigrants. This is a welcome setback for their goals.
“We congratulate the hundreds of Muslim, civil, immigrant and human rights organizations that fought for this victory. Our organizations and movement will continue to fight with ferocity against racism and Islamophobia and for the American values of fairness and religious freedom.”
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People’s Action is a national organization of more than a million people across 30 states working for economic, racial, gender and climate justice – and to ensure everyone a voice in our political system. From family farms to big cities, from coast to coast, we’re fighting for community over greed, justice over racism, and people and planet over big corporations.