The Dallas Peace and Justice Center unequivocally condemns the Supreme Court decision to uphold President Trump's travel ban that barred travelers from five mainly Muslim majority countries to enter the United States. In a 5-4 decision, the court wrote in its majority decision that the president's proclamation was "squarely within the scope of Presidential authority under the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA)." The travel ban will effectively bar travelers from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Libya from entering the United States. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts declared, "the president has extraordinary powers to set immigration policy" and "the INA exudes deference to the president."

But Jose Espericueta, Co-Chair of the DPJC's Human Rights Committee said, "the travel ban is counter-productive, immoral, and at its heart un-American. Despite Chief Justice Roberts' opinion, there is little visible reason to separate this ban from the president's past anti-Muslim rhetoric. Sadly, this emboldens the president to continue abusing the language of terrorism and security as a justification for anti-immigrant policies. Now more than ever it is our responsibility to work to preserve the United States as a refuge and beacon of hope for those seeking the American dream."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a written dissent, cited Trump's inflammatory rhetoric about Muslims to compare the "stark parallels" between the majority opinion and one of the court's most shameful moments, "Korematsu v. U.S.," the decision that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans. She further wrote, "a reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus. The majority holds otherwise by ignoring facts, misconstruing our legal precedent and turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering the Proclamation inflicts upon countless families and individuals, many of whom are American citizens."

DPJC activist Hadi Jawad said, "The decision will help advance the narrative of terror groups like ISIS that the U.S is at war against Islam when the truth is that America has historically been a welcoming nation. Now the high court has issued a proclamation that attacks the essence of America."