Vela Files Amicus Curiae Brief in Response to Trump's Muslim Ban

Statement

Representative Filemon Vela (D-TX) today released the following statement as he filed an amicus curiae brief in response to President Trump's "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" Executive Order.

Donald Trump's ill-conceived and discriminatory executive orders defy the principles upon which this great democracy was founded. The White House's Executive Order, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" is a mere deception to hide Trump's overtly prejudiced efforts to impose a religiously motivated ban on innocent Muslim immigrants and refugees as he stated during the campaign. His xenophobic proclamations and disregard of Articles I, II and III of the Constitution cannot be allowed to go unchecked. After the administration's executive order was unanimously rejected by a federal appeals panel, Mr. Trump tweeted: "SEE YOU IN COURT!"

Due to the racially motivated mockery of the First Amendment and the Constitution by this administration, today I join several of my colleagues in filing an amicus curiae brief in - Darweesh et. al. v. Trump in the Eastern District of New York challenging this executive order. As a member of Congress, I took the Oath of Office and swore to support the Constitution. The United States has survived and succeeded because of the checks and balances our prescient Founding Fathers laid forth. Therefore, Mr. Trump, I guess we'll see you in court.

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