Last night, President Donald Trump signed a new executive order indefinitely banning almost all travel to the United States from seven countries. Starting next month, most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea will be banned from entering the United States. Additionally, certain citizens of Iraq and Venezuela will face restrictions when planning to travel to the United States.
 
The fact remains that Trump’s expanded travel ban is a discriminatory attack targeting Muslims. Six of the ban’s target countries are Muslim-majority nations, and the addition of North Korea and government officials from Venezuela does not cancel out the deep anti-Muslim spirit of this policy. 
 
This inhumane and Islamophobic policy isn’t based on valid security concerns, but rather is rooted in prejudice that is antithetical to our nation’s values. Time will tell the scope of the damage this ban will cause—from tearing families apart to destroying young people’s dream of studying in the United States and eroding America’s respect among the rest of the world. 
 
We reject these divisive and racist policies. As mothers, we teach our children to be inclusive, not to bully, and to treat other people as they would like to be treated. It is a shame that the leader of the free world is exposing our children to such ideologically warped views as those promulgated by the expanded travel ban. 
 
To be clear: This policy is about human rights abuses in the name of immigration policy, and will be remembered as a dark chapter in American history. This isn't the America we want for our children, and we won’t stand for it.

Reporters: View this as a statement in our newsroom here.