Fifty-one House Democrats have asked President Obama to make it harder for President-elect Trump to institute a Muslim registry when he takes office.
Led by Reps. John Conyers of Michigan, Zoe Lofgren of California, and Minnesota’s Keith Ellison, the lawmakers sent a letter Thursday urging Obama to rescind a program launched in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that included a registration component for men from primarily Arab and Muslim countries.
Although the registration component of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System is dormant, it remains part of the law and could be re-instituted.
“The program caused widespread and palpable fear in affected communities,” the group wrote.
Policies targeting “people based on their religion, race, ethnicity or national origin” are inconsistent with American values, they said.
Rescinding the regulations would re-affirm the Obama administration’s “commitment to equal protection under the law,” they said.
