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Travel Caution and Important Information After Executive Order
Muslim Family

Dear community members and friends.

Like you, we only recently received the final, signed copies of President Trump's Executive Order on Friday, January 27, 2017, targeting Muslims and refugees. And like you, we are appalled at these attacks on American values by targeting individuals based on race, religion, and national origin. 

A complete analysis will take time, but we continue to hear from many of you, worried about what this means for your families and friends.  We have also learned that the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) has started implementing the Executive Order now and  we are writing today to offer some preliminary guidance. We will send out more details as they become clear.

What you need to know right now:
  • Non-U.S. citizens who have visas or are Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) ("green card" holders) from the seven countries referenced in the executive order (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) will be barred from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days. 
  • We are urging anyone who is a citizen/national of one of those countries to NOT travel outside the U.S. at this time until there is more clarity or at least until the person has consulted with an attorney to fully understand all of the risks.
    • The above advice applies to people who are not U.S. citizens and have visas or are Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) and it may even apply to people who are non-U.S. citizens but are dual citizens of one of those countries and another country not on that list. 
  • If you are not a U.S. citizen and are currently outside of the U.S. please speak with an immigration attorney before you travel back to the U.S.
  • We have also learned that some who are not from these seven countries but are not U.S. citizen and are Muslim, have a 'Muslim' name, or were born/citizen of another Muslim-majority country, are facing issues returning to the U.S. 
  • The refugee program is being halted immediately, for at least 120 days. This will mean that anyone, anywhere in the process, will not move forward. The effort to resettle Syrian refugees in the U.S. is being halted indefinitely
  • If you are a U.S. citizen, you have the right to re-enter the U.S. Please contact us at [email protected] or 206.367.4081 if you are denied the right to return to the U.S. and you're a U.S. citizen. 
What you should do to protect yourself:
  • If you are not a U.S. citizen and are from one of the seven countries named in the executive order (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen), and you are inside the U.S., do NOT travel outside the U.S. at this time until there is more clarity or at least you have consulted with an attorney to fully understand all of the risks.
  • If you are a non-citizen from one of the seven countries named in the executive order (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen), and you are outside of the U.S., you may face issues at the airport. Please contact an immigration attorney before you travel back to the U.S.
    • Even if you're not from these seven countries mentioned: if you are not a U.S. citizen and are Muslim, have a 'Muslim' name, or were born in/citizen of another Muslim-majority country, please also contact an immigration attorney to understand risks before you travel outside the U.S. or travel back to the U.S.
  • If you are facing an emergency at the airport or are scheduled to come home to the U.S. in the next few days, please contact an immigration attorney before you travel back to the U.S.
  • Whether you are a citizen or not, do not permit law enforcement to enter your home without a warrant. Even if they have a warrant, you should not speak to them without consulting with an attorney. See our "3 Simple Steps" to common situations at www.cairseattle.org 
What you can do to push back:
  1. Make sure your family & friends report discrimination and hate incidents/attacks to CAIR-WA at [email protected] or 206.367.4081.
    • Report any and all cases of anti-Muslim discrimination at work, school, at public places or by law enforcement as well as cases  of hate incidents, taunts and attacks so that our professional staff can ensure your case gets the attention it deserves.
  2. Call your members of Congress and the U.S. Senate at 202.224.3121 to ask them to speak publicly and vocally against anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant bigotry and oppose these Executive Orders
  3. Anti-Muslim policies rely on the public's lack of knowledge about American Muslims. Some ways to use your voice to educate others: 
    • If you're a well-spoken Muslim community member or an ally and are ready to be trained to use research-based messages in media interviews, click here to fill a form expressing your interest. 
    • Send e-mails to [email protected] and to other mainstream media about the lives of American Muslims you know
Sincerely,