BALTIMORE, MD — The NAACP today released the following statement regarding the most-recent Muslim Ban executive order from President Trump.

The new executive order restricting travel from six Muslim-majority countries is just the latest in a series of actions that threaten our nation’s values. In a few short months, this administration has withdrawn from voting rights cases, reversed course on private prisons, revoked guidance on transgender youth, intensified immigration raids, and announced its intention to limit investigation of abusive and discriminatory law enforcement. The message is clear: this administration is unwilling to protect and is in some cases actively targeting vulnerable communities.

Even though the new executive order purports to be rooted in national security interests, it cannot mask its true origins. The civil rights community is keenly aware of seemingly neutral laws that mask intentional discrimination. We have seen poll taxes and literacy tests being imposed as supposedly race neutral voter qualification measures. We continue to see voter ID laws that act as modern day poll taxes that rob communities of their vote. Regardless of the smokescreen of security justifications, this executive order is a continuation of the administration’s stated goal: the implementation of a Muslim ban.

Just as we fight against voter suppression and police brutality, the NAACP continues to stand against discrimination based on racial identity, ethnicity, national origin, or religion. We know that actions that rely on unfounded assumptions about dangerousness will always come at the expense of the most vulnerable populations. We have seen the results of the divisive rhetoric that forms the true rationale for this executive order. We are witnessing a record number of hate crimes—including the death of an Indian student, Jewish cemeteries being defaced and community centers being threatened, and numerous attacks based on xenophobia and Islamophobia. We know that this hatred is poisonous and antithetical to the ideals that we fight to uphold.

The NAACP is made up of Christians, Muslims, Jews, and more. Our members are individuals of many religions and some of no religion. We stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters. We will join in protest of this ban. We will continue to fight for equal rights for all, for policies based on evidence and not on fear.