The following statement can be attributed to Colleen Connell, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois:
 
“After four years, we cheer today’s order from President Biden reversing the discriminatory, discredited Muslim travel ban. The deliberate embrace of Islamophobia as the policy of our federal government is a shameful episode that cannot be erased with a single signature. It will take work. It will take not simply lifting a travel ban but adopting and enforcing policies that rejects bigotry aimed at Muslims across our nation. That work must begin immediately. 
 
As we celebrate President Biden’s action, we remember those individuals and families who have suffered over the past four years. Birthdays, weddings, births and funerals have occurred with an empty chair because of this travel ban – which was never about safety and security. We also recall the heroes, the families who called out injustice and the lawyers who showed up at airports in the first hours of the travel ban with many continuing to help families and individuals facing discrimination. Their commitment has kept the flame of hope shining for many. And finally, we think about all those who stood up and went to O’Hare and sites across the country to protest this ban four long years ago. Our work to fight this discrimination must continue, not end, after today.”