FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2018
Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216
Albuquerque, NM – This afternoon, Attorney General Hector Balderas released a message of support to New Mexico’s Muslim community in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision
in Trump v. Hawaii:
“In New Mexico, we have a special sensitivity to the impact of racial and religious discrimination, and we will continue to welcome people of all faiths, races, nationalities, gender
identity and backgrounds here—despite the Muslim ban the high court upheld today. Banning entry to the United States from Muslim countries does not promote national security. Instead, the ban focuses on religious beliefs in a way that clearly violates the First Amendment and its protection for personal religious views. The principle that the United States government must remain neutral with respect to religion is one we hold dear and that keeps our country safe. I stand ready to support New Mexico’s Muslim community against discrimination, and I am confident I will not be alone in that support.” New Mexico was one of 13 states whose Attorneys General joined Hawaii to support a restraining order blocking application of the travel ban.
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