A new Muslim and African ban by Trump can and must be prevented

More than a month into US President Donald Trump’s second term, his brutal crackdown on immigration and asylum seekers has already harmed countless people. Law enforcement has carried out mass raids across the United States, rounding up people. Tens of thousands have been deported, and the pathway to asylum has been blocked for tens of thousands more.

In the face of this onslaught, people have mobilised en masse to protect vulnerable groups at the local and national levels. One piece of legislation could make a difference in this struggle: the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act, introduced to the US Congress on February 6 by Representative Judy Chu and Senator Chris Coons. The bill would create much-needed limitations and accountability for any president intent on categorically banning refugees, asylum seekers, or people of specified faiths or nationalities from entering the US.