BJC condemns new travel ban as ‘state-sanctioned discrimination’
Tyler: ‘We must not accept a government that uses religion and ethnicity as proxies for threat.’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press contact: Karlee Marshall | [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) condemns President Donald J. Trump’s latest travel ban, calling it a “dangerous and discriminatory” policy that undermines religious liberty, disrupts families, and stigmatizes entire nations. The proclamation, which takes effect Monday, June 9, blocks or severely restricts entry from 19 countries — including a dozen subjected to a full suspension.
BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler issued the following statement:
“This new ban revives and expands one of the most discriminatory policies of the first Trump administration. Cloaked in national security language, it continues a pattern of singling out individuals based on their faith, race, and national origin. It is not a genuine security measure — it is state-sanctioned discrimination.
President Trump’s invocation of a tragic incident in Colorado to justify this sweeping ban is both opportunistic and misleading. The individual involved is from a country not even included in the ban, underscoring the arbitrary and political nature of this policy.
National security must be rooted in facts, not fear-mongering. We must not accept a government that uses religion and ethnicity as proxies for threat. Religious freedom means freedom for all — not just those favored by those in power. The ban’s broad sweep, affecting students, families, businesspeople, and refugees, represents a moral failure and a constitutional affront.
BJC has fought every iteration of this ban, and we will fight this one, too. The chaos it will create — separating families, stranding visa holders, and denying refuge to the vulnerable — is a humanitarian crisis manufactured by executive overreach. Congress must act swiftly to pass the NO BAN Act and end this abuse of authority once and for all.”
BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) is an 89-year-old religiously based organization working to defend faith freedom for all and protect the institutional separation of church and state in the historic Baptist tradition. BJC is the home of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign. For more information, visit BJConline.org.
