Author: CAIR-Ohio

CAIR-Columbus today condemned the Trump administration’s announcement that they will not redesignate Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Yesterday, DHS Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced her decision to extend the TPS designation for Syria for 18 months through Sept. 30, 2019, which means those Syrians in the U.S. who already have TPS can renew their status.  However the decision not to redesignate Syria for TPS means that no new applications will be accepted.

CAIR-Columbus today announced today the filing of a federal lawsuit against the US Embassy in Amman for unreasonably delaying immigrant visa applications for an elderly Muslim couple for over two years.

The plaintiffs’ daughter, who is a U.S. citizen, applied for her parents immigrant visas in 2015 because they both have significant health problems and have no family or support system in Jordan.  The couple was interviewed by consular officers in Amman over eighteen-months ago, but to date the embassy has refused to adjudicate their applications stating that they are still in “administrative processing.”  In the meantime, their health problems have worsened and their daughter fears what will happen if they are unable to join her in the U.S.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned President Donald Trump’s announcement last night during the State of the Union address that he signed an executive order to keep the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay open, revoking the Obama administration’s 2009 order to close the facility.

Trump’s order creates the possibility sending new prisoners to the detention camp. The order states: “The United States may transport additional detainees to US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay when lawful and necessary to protect the Nation.”

SEE: Trump Executive Order Keeping Guantánamo Prison Open

GOOD NEWS ALERT: WE WON!
We filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court of Maryland on behalf six individuals affected by Muslim Ban 3.0, including two Columbus plaintiffs of Syrian origin, to stop the implementation of President Trump’s Muslim Ban 3.0. Last night’s ruling from the District Court in Maryland means that our Plaintiffs and citizens of these six Muslim majority nations can be reunited with their families.

Last night’s Maryland decision joins Hawaii in blocking the new Muslim Ban from going into effect against citizens of six Muslim majority nations. This is the third version of President Trump’s Muslim Ban since January 2017 and was supposed to go into effect on October 18, 2017 at 12:01 a.m. EST.

On Wednesday, October 11th, CAIR-Columbus participated in the Second Annual “Courthouse to the Community” Event, organized by Columbus City Councilmember Michael Stinziano and hosted by the Columbus Urban League. The event sought to connect individuals in the community with local legal service organizations.