Pasadena Congresswoman Praises Dismantling of Discriminatory NSEERS Registration System

Today, it was reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is removing regulations pertaining to the National Security Entry-Exit Registration Systems (NSEERS) program, starting tomorrow.

The NSEERS program was created after the September 11th attacks as a way to track travelers to and from specific countries.

The program was subsequently discontinued in 2011 by the Obama Administration who argued it unfairly targeted Muslim men without increasing security. Though the program was discontinued, the regulatory framework continued to exist in the Federal Registry, which would have allowed the Trump administration to resume the program. Now that NSEERS has been dismantled completely, reinstating it would require going through the Federal rulemaking process. Rep. Judy Chu, who has spoken out against a Muslim registry and called for the dismantling of NSEERS, released the following statement:

“I am incredibly relieved that President Obama has taken this step to dismantle NSEERS and make a Muslim registry that much harder to implement. This is a program that was deemed so flawed that it was ultimately canceled for isolating the Muslim community while failing to make our country more secure. It should not remain on our books.

“Tracking Muslims, as some supporters of Donald Trump have suggested, is contrary to our values and understandably strikes fear into many communities. Now that NSEERS has been dismantled, that fear can be assuaged slightly. However, we must continue to fight for civil rights and against xenophobic rhetoric at the highest levels of government. We have seen from our history of Japanese internment during World War II how fear can lead to a disgraceful denial of individuals freedoms for minority communities. I’m committed to fighting against the recreation of a program like NSEERS, or any Muslim registry, in the future.”

Earlier this month, Rep. Chu led a letter with more than 50 other House Democrats to President Obama calling on him to dismantle NSEERS before the end of his administration.