Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
World Relief Laments Cruel, Anti-Family Immigration Policy Change
BALTIMORE, Maryland, May 23 -- World Relief issued the following news release on May 22, 2026:
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World Relief Laments Cruel, Anti-Family Immigration Policy Change
New USCIS Memo Largely Restricting Adjustment of Status for Individuals Lawfully Admitted to the United States Is Latest in String of Policies Restricting Legal Immigration
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Today, the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a shocking memo, largely halting the longstanding practice of allowing non-citizens who entered the United States lawfully and now qualify under U.S. law for Lawful Permanent Resident
... Show Full Article
BALTIMORE, Maryland, May 23 -- World Relief issued the following news release on May 22, 2026:
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World Relief Laments Cruel, Anti-Family Immigration Policy Change
New USCIS Memo Largely Restricting Adjustment of Status for Individuals Lawfully Admitted to the United States Is Latest in String of Policies Restricting Legal Immigration
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Today, the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a shocking memo, largely halting the longstanding practice of allowing non-citizens who entered the United States lawfully and now qualify under U.S. law for Lawful Permanent Residentstatus to "adjust status" within the United States. These individuals, many of whom are sponsored by U.S. citizen spouses, parents, or adult children, will instead need to return to their countries of origin to endure a months- or years-long process abroad.
World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization that provides immigration legal services in locations throughout the United States, laments this alarming new policy, the latest of several administrative changes that restrict legal immigration and separate families.
"This is the latest step in an effort to systematically dismantle legal immigration, and it will have devastating consequences on families. Our faith as Christians teaches us that God established the family unit and that what God has joined together, no one should separate. This policy, impacting individuals who meet the legal requirements for a green card, will force apart husbands from wives and children from their parents. There's simply no compelling reason for this cruel, anti-family policy change, and I hope and pray it will be reversed, whether by administrative reconsideration, congressional action or the courts," commented Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief.
Adjustment of Status is a longstanding element of U.S. immigration policy that allows individuals who entered the country lawfully (such as with a temporary work visa, a student visa, humanitarian parole or a tourist visa) who become eligible for a green card to process that application for Lawful Permanent Resident status within the United States. Most often this happens because they married a U.S. citizen or have another U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident family sponsor. In the last quarter of FY 2025, roughly 73 percent of all approved Adjustments of Status were based on family sponsorship.
This new memo makes clear that because Adjustment of Status is a discretionary benefit, USCIS will allow Adjustments of Status only in "exceptional" circumstances. Most families who previously could have stayed together during months or years of bureaucratic processing will apparently now be forced to separate, with the non-citizen family member leaving the United States and living abroad while awaiting processing, away from U.S. citizen family members who often cannot leave due to employment or caregiving responsibilities.
The effects of this dramatic new policy are further exacerbated by a total ban on consular processing of immigrant visas for 75 countries around the world, implemented in January by the U.S. State Department. If families are told that the non-citizen family member must return to his or her country of origin to process their immigrant visa, but immigrant visas are not being processed there, it's a Catch-22. These policies will effectively create an indefinite separation of families.
"This is the latest in a series of immigration policies that will tear families apart," said Matthew Soerens, World Relief's vice president of advocacy and policy. "It's also the latest policy dramatically rolling back legal immigration, despite broad evidence that most Americans believe legal immigration is beneficial." According to recent polling, 83 percent of all Americans believe that legal immigration contributes to economic growth. Among evangelical Christians, 86 percent say legal immigration has been helpful to the U.S., and 90 percent believe that U.S. immigration policies should "protect the unity of the immediate family."
Earlier this month, World Relief partnered with the National Association of Evangelicals to release a report, "Joined Together, Torn Apart," that sought to quantify the likely effects of previously announced immigration policies on mixed-status families, where at least one family member is a U.S. citizen but another is a non-citizen. The report found that, by 2029:
* 910,000 U.S. citizen children would be separated from one or both parents by detention and deportation policies
* 272,000 U.S. citizens will be separated from their spouses by detention and deportation policies
* 150,000 spouses and children currently abroad in countries affected by immigrant visa travel bans will remain separated
This new policy will add to this family separation effect, forcing families who are currently together - where all members of the family unit were born in or entered the country lawfully - to separate in order to abide by the law. For those from the 75 countries on the immigrant visa ban, most of which are in Africa, Asia, or Latin America, that separation could be indefinite.
World Relief urges the administration to reconsider this needless change and urges Congress to clarify the law as necessary to ensure that families seeking to abide by the law are able to do so without separation.
World Relief advises immigrants and their families who may be affected by this policy change to consult with an experienced immigration attorney or with an organization recognized by the Department of Justice to provide immigration legal guidance, including many local offices of World Relief and many local church partners.
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World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world's greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe.
Since then, for over 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish. Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, as well as community strengthening and resilience.
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Original text here: https://worldrelief.org/pr-world-relief-laments-cruel-anti-family-immigration-policy-change/
[Category: Sociological]
Groups Challenge Trump Administration's Phoenix Ozone Pollution Waiver
SAN FRANCISCO, California, May 23 -- Earthjustice posted the following news release:
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Groups Challenge Trump Administration's Phoenix Ozone Pollution Waiver
EPA blamed city's air violations on Asia, Mexico in granting free pass to pollute
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Phoenix, AZ -- Conservation groups today challenged the Trump Administration's waiver of stronger air pollution controls for Phoenix, one of the nation's smoggiest cities. The groups' petition for review, filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, claims that the Trump administration illegally granted the waiver based on alleged impacts from international
... Show Full Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California, May 23 -- Earthjustice posted the following news release:
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Groups Challenge Trump Administration's Phoenix Ozone Pollution Waiver
EPA blamed city's air violations on Asia, Mexico in granting free pass to pollute
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Phoenix, AZ -- Conservation groups today challenged the Trump Administration's waiver of stronger air pollution controls for Phoenix, one of the nation's smoggiest cities. The groups' petition for review, filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, claims that the Trump administration illegally granted the waiver based on alleged impacts from internationalemissions. While historically this waiver has been limited to cities on international borders, the Trump administration pointed to emissions from as far away as Asia in giving Phoenix a free pass to pollute.
The EPA also recently proposed granting a similar waiver for Utah's Northern Wasatch Front, which includes Salt Lake City. Conservation groups expect this exemption could be finalized in the coming months. EPA's new approach of granting these exemptions routinely, instead of in rare exceptions, threatens to undermine efforts to reduce harmful ozone pollution nationwide.
"The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to let the state's worst polluters off the hook for their contribution to our awful air quality by blaming international emissions for Arizona's pollution," said Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Director Sandy Bahr. "High ozone levels threaten our health, make it harder to breathe, and shorten our lives. We need EPA to strengthen requirements to reduce the pollution that we can control, but what we're seeing is the complete opposite. With Arizona experiencing one of the highest asthma mortality rates in the country, EPA should be doing everything possible to protect communities, not polluters."
"It's important to recognize what Trump's EPA has and has not done with this decision. The agency has not reduced ozone pollution or mitigated its harms one iota," said Ryan Maher, staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Instead, through a paperwork exercise and fuzzy math, EPA has sidestepped life-saving pollution reductions, for the benefit of corporate polluters."
The Phoenix waiver is the first granted by the EPA for a community that is not located on an international border and the first reliant upon air pollution purportedly from Asia. Phoenix has also failed to adopt all the required local pollution-reducing measures, which disqualifies the area from receiving a waiver under the EPA's longstanding reading of the 179B statute.
The Phoenix-Mesa area was classified as "Moderate" nonattainment under the Clean Air Act's National Ambient Air Quality Standard in 2022 for its failure to meet 2015 ozone requirements by 2021. The Moderate classification triggered a new attainment deadline of August 2024, along with the need for an updated State Implementation Plan. Phoenix missed both deadlines. In addition to submitting its plan more than two years late, Phoenix failed to meet the ozone standards. The Maricopa Association of Governments instead submitted a 179B waiver request to the EPA relying on international emissions. The exemption lets Phoenix avoid a downgrade in classification, meaning the area does not have to take stronger protective measures to control local emissions, endangering its residents' health.
"The Trump Administration's war on science has arguably hit EPA the hardest of all agencies," says Chandra Rosenthal, public lands director for PEER. "From eliminating entire divisions, cutting its research and scientific investigation roles, to prompting a mass exodus of staff, EPA has been decimated. The only thing left to justify EPA's decision in Arizona is politics and corporate pandering."
The American Lung Association gave Phoenix-Mesa an 'F' on ozone pollution in its most recent State of the Air report, ranking it as the fourth most polluted city in the nation.
"The Environmental Protection Agency has failed the people of Phoenix with this illegal ozone pollution waiver," said Alexandra Schluntz, senior attorney with Earthjustice's Rocky Mountain Office. "To rely upon purported pollution from thousands of miles away to sidestep the requirements of the Clean Air Act is an insult to the communities that call this region home, particularly those most impacted by ozone pollution including children, the elderly, and those with asthma. Phoenix has repeatedly failed to address its poor air quality and should be held to the requirements of the law by the agency that was created to enforce them."
"Trump's EPA is refusing to implement life-saving standards with a story only this administration could tell -- that a trickle of pollution drifting from China and Mexico is what's fouling Phoenix's air," said Abi Vijayan, senior climate attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). "The math is pure fiction. The harm to Phoenix families won't be."
Earthjustice, on behalf of Sierra Club, filed today's petition for review alongside Center for Biological Diversity, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and NRDC.
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About Earthjustice
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
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Original text here: https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/groups-challenge-trump-administrations-phoenix-ozone-pollution-waiver
[Category: Environment]
CAIR-SFBA Says San Diego Mosque Shooting Must Not Be Used Against Los Gatos Muslim Congregation
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 21, 2026:
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CAIR-SFBA Says San Diego Mosque Shooting Must Not Be Used Against Los Gatos Muslim Congregation
Muslim civil rights group urges Planning Commission to approve West Valley Muslim Association's permit application and reject fear-based restrictions
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(SANTA CLARA, CA) -- The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged the Los Gatos Planning Commission
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 21, 2026:
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CAIR-SFBA Says San Diego Mosque Shooting Must Not Be Used Against Los Gatos Muslim Congregation
Muslim civil rights group urges Planning Commission to approve West Valley Muslim Association's permit application and reject fear-based restrictions
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(SANTA CLARA, CA) -- The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged the Los Gatos Planning Commissionto approve the West Valley Muslim Association's (WVMA) conditional use permit application and reject attempts to use this week's deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego to justify additional restrictions on the local Muslim congregation.
In a letter sent to planning commissioners ahead of tonight's continued deliberations, CAIR-SFBA said it was "shocked and appalled" that some neighbors invoked the San Diego mosque attack to argue for more restrictions on WVMA and its congregants.
SEE: CAIR-SFBA Letter to Los Gatos Planning Commission (https://ca.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/5.21.26_CAIR-SFBA-Letter-to-Los-Gatos-Planning-Commission.pdf)
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
"A hate-motivated shooting that left worshippers dead, families shattered, and children traumatized should never be used as ammunition in a local land use dispute. WVMA and its congregants would be the targets of anti-Muslim violence, not the source of danger. Local government must make clear that Muslim families belong here and that their rights will be protected equally."
CAIR-SFBA said WVMA has been engaging responsibly with the Town of Los Gatos, law enforcement, and fire officials on traffic management, emergency access, occupancy, and safety planning since acquiring the property, and that the draft conditions already address those concerns.
The organization also noted that the Town Attorney has reportedly acknowledged that several previously proposed conditions likely raised concerns under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or RLUIPA, a federal law that protects religious institutions from discriminatory land use treatment.
"The question before the Town is whether Muslims will be treated equally under the law," Billoo said. "Any conditions imposed on WVMA must be lawful, neutral, evidence-based, and applied consistently across religious institutions. The Planning Commission should not single out this congregation for unequal treatment."
CAIR-SFBA urged the Planning Commission to approve WVMA's application, reject fear-based narratives, and ensure that any conditions imposed are lawful, neutral, evidence-based, and consistent with how the Town treats other religious institutions.
CAIR-SFBA said it is monitoring the matter closely and is prepared to support WVMA and the Muslim community in protecting their civil rights, including through legal advocacy if necessary.
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CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-sfba-says-san-diego-mosque-shooting-must-not-be-used-against-los-gatos-muslim-congregation/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR-NJ Announces Release of NJ Resident Amrou Ibrahim From Israeli Custody
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release:
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CAIR-NJ Announces Release of NJ Resident Amrou Ibrahim from Israeli Custody
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) confirms the release of Nutley resident, Amrou Ibrahim, from Israeli custody. He is currently in Turkey, receiving medical treatment.
READ: Gaza flotilla activists deported from Israel as backlash over treatment grows (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d3v2d6p1eo).
Amrou is among hundreds of activists who were attempting to deliver aid
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release:
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CAIR-NJ Announces Release of NJ Resident Amrou Ibrahim from Israeli Custody
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) confirms the release of Nutley resident, Amrou Ibrahim, from Israeli custody. He is currently in Turkey, receiving medical treatment.
READ: Gaza flotilla activists deported from Israel as backlash over treatment grows (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d3v2d6p1eo).
Amrou is among hundreds of activists who were attempting to deliver aidto Gaza when Israeli authorities intercepted their vessels on international waters. Lawyers with Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel shared that their "team received a large number of complaints of extreme violence [...] by Israeli authorities. This violence resulted in severe, widespread injuries, including at least three individuals who were hospitalized and subsequently released." They also reported on the use of tasers, stress positions, sexual harassment and degradation, and in a few instances found broken ribs on some activists.
In a statement shared with CAIR-NJ, Amrou's mother, Aiat Ibrahim shared the following:
"After speaking with my son today, I was relieved to learn that he is safe following his release alongside fellow activists from the Freedom Flotilla of Steadfastness and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. While I am deeply grateful for his release, I am devastated by the account he shared of the treatment he endured during his detention in Israel.
"My son described being subjected to physical beatings and severe physical and psychological humiliation--experiences whose full impact cannot truly be captured in words. During his detention, his prescription glasses and shoes were confiscated, leaving him unable to see properly and forcing him to leave occupied Palestine barefoot.
"As a parent, it is heartbreaking to know that my child was deprived not only of his dignity and safety, but also of basic necessities. The image of him departing in prison clothing, without shoes and without the ability to see clearly, is one that will remain with me forever.
"The only measure of comfort I have at this moment is knowing that he is now in Istanbul, where he and the other released activists are reportedly receiving the medical attention and care they urgently need.
"I call on the international community, human rights organizations, and all governments committed to justice and human dignity to investigate the treatment of these activists and to ensure accountability for the abuses they endured while in detention.
"No parent should ever have to hear such accounts from their child. No human being should be subjected to such treatment."
Aiat shared that when she spoke to her son, he was in high spirits and wanted all the attention focused on Gaza: to urge governments to condemn the blockade on Gaza and the genocide of Palestinians.
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CAIR's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-nj-announces-release-of-nj-resident-amrou-ibrahim-from-israeli-custody/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR-FL Commends Rep. Castor, 25 Other U.S. Reps Calling for Justice for FL Resident, Other Americans Killed by Settler Violence in West Bank
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 21, 2026:
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CAIR-FL Commends Rep. Castor, 25 Other U.S. Reps Calling for Justice for FL Resident, Other Americans Killed by Settler Violence in West Bank
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Florida) today commends U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) for leading a congressional letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The letter demands accountability and
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 21, 2026:
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CAIR-FL Commends Rep. Castor, 25 Other U.S. Reps Calling for Justice for FL Resident, Other Americans Killed by Settler Violence in West Bank
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Florida) today commends U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) for leading a congressional letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The letter demands accountability andan independent, U.S.-led investigation into the killing of American citizens, including 20-year-old, Tampa, Florida ice cream shop owner, Sayfollah 'Sayf' Kamel Musallet. The letter urges the U.S. Department of State to take immediate measures to curb escalating settler violence in the West Bank.
SEE: BREAKING: CAIR Sends Letter to Sec. Rubio, AG Bondi Calling for Probe into Murder of U.S. Citizen by Illegal Israeli Settlers (https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-sends-letter-to-sec-rubio-ag-bondi-calling-for-probe-into-murder-of-u-s-citizen-by-illegal-israeli-settlers/)
Rep. Castor's letter highlights a critical lack of accountability by the Netanyahu government regarding the brutal July 11, 2025, murder of Musallet--who was beaten to death by extremist Israeli settlers while protecting his family's land--as well as the recent killings of other American citizens, including Khamis al-Ayyad and 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam, who was shot and killed on February 18, 2026.
In response to the initiative, CAIR-Florida Executive Director Hiba Rahim stated:
"We welcome Congresswoman Kathy Castor's necessary leadership in demanding justice for her constituent Sayfollah Musallet and the many American citizens who have lost their lives to unchecked, state-enabled extremist settler violence in the West Bank. It is the fundamental duty of the United States government to protect its citizens abroad and ensure absolute accountability when they are harmed. For nearly a year, Sayfollah's grieving family in Tampa has been met with silence. We call on Secretary Rubio and the Department of Justice to launch an immediate, independent U.S. investigation into these targeted killings."
CALL TO ACTION FOR FLORIDA CITIZENS AND LEADERS:
CAIR-Florida is urgently calling on all Florida citizens, religious leaders, and civil rights organizations to amplify the demand for justice and email your US Officials, urging them to take stronger measures to curb Israeli settler violence against U.S. Citizens in the West Bank: https://bit.ly/ActionForSayf
Additionally, we ask all people of conscience to thank the Representatives who joined Representative Castor in her letter. Thank the 26 Reps here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/b_1yhbBpBkOOgOQTbESDZQ2
The representatives include:
U.S. Representative Kathy Castor
U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost
U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar
U.S. Representative Nellie Pou
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib
U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter
U.S. Representative James McGovern
U.S. Representative Sean Casten
U.S. Representative Eleanor Homes Norton
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro
U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch
U.S. Representative Dave Min
U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez
U.S. Representative Hank Johnson
U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez
U.S. Representative Lateefah Simon
U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar
U.S. Representative Chuy Garcia
U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett
U.S. Representative Paul Tonko
U.S. Representative Ro Khanna
U.S. Representative Mark Pocan
U.S. Representative Robin Kelly
U.S. Representative Al Green
U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes
The congressional inquiry notes that despite past promises from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee calling for an aggressive investigation into Musallet's "criminal and terrorist" murder, the Israeli government has failed to provide answers, while continuing actions that drive the forced displacement of Palestinian communities. Rep. Castor has requested a formal update from the State Department and DOJ by June 5, 2026.
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CAIR-Florida is the state's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil liberties, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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INFODOC: https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LettertoDOJState.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-fl-commends-rep-castor-25-other-u-s-reps-calling-for-justice-for-fl-resident-other-americans-killed-by-settler-violence-in-west-bank/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR and CAIR-FL Join Global Coalition Demanding Justice for Sayfollah Musallet and Americans Killed by Israeli Settlers Violence
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 22, 2026:
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CAIR and CAIR-FL Join Global Coalition Demanding Justice for Sayfollah Musallet and Americans Killed by Israeli Settlers Violence
CAIR and the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR and CAIR-Florida) today joined a diverse global coalition of over 70 global, national, and local faith and human rights groups urging U.S. officials to hold perpetrators accountable for the murder of the Florida resident and other American citizens.
SEE: Letter to
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 22, 2026:
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CAIR and CAIR-FL Join Global Coalition Demanding Justice for Sayfollah Musallet and Americans Killed by Israeli Settlers Violence
CAIR and the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR and CAIR-Florida) today joined a diverse global coalition of over 70 global, national, and local faith and human rights groups urging U.S. officials to hold perpetrators accountable for the murder of the Florida resident and other American citizens.
SEE: Letter toSecretary Rubio (https://x.com/imeupolicy/status/2057855195317453148?s=20)
The letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demands accountability and an independent, U.S.-led investigation into the killing of American citizens, including 20-year-old Tampa, Florida ice cream shop owner, Sayfollah 'Sayf' Kamel Musallet. This letter was launched in tandem with an effort led by U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL), whose congressional letter was signed by 25 U.S. Representatives.
SEE: CAIR-FL Commends Rep. Castor, 25 Other U.S. Reps Calling for Justice for FL Resident, Other Americans Killed by Settler Violence in West Bank (https://cairflorida.org/press/cair-florida-commends-rep-kathy-castors-letter-demanding-justice-for-florida-resident-sayfollah-musallet-and-americans-killed-by-settler-violence-in-west-bank/)
Rep. Castor's initial letter highlighted a critical lack of accountability by the Israeli government regarding the brutal July 11, 2025, murder of Musallet--who was beaten to death by extremist Israeli settlers while protecting his family's land--as well as the recent killings of other American citizens, including Khamis al-Ayyad and 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam, who was shot and killed by an Israeli settler on February 18, 2026. The coalition letter reaffirms the urgency and further demands the latest developments concerning American families killed by Israel and the steps taken on behalf of U.S. government officials to investigate and deliver justice.
In response to the initiative, CAIR-Florida Executive Director Hiba Rahim stated:
"We are profoundly grateful for and heartened by the powerful wave of global solidarity from this diverse, international coalition standing with us in the pursuit of justice. This collective global support sends an undeniable message: the world is watching, and we will not allow the lives of American citizens to be taken with impunity." The executive director added:
"We explicitly and unequivocally condemn the horrific, systemic Israeli settler violence targeting American citizens and Palestinians in the West Bank. For nearly a year, Sayfollah's grieving family in Tampa has been met with unacceptable silence while state-enabled extremist violence goes completely unchecked. The U.S. government has a fundamental duty to protect its citizens abroad. We join our global partners in demanding that Secretary Rubio, Ambassador Huckabee, and the Department of Justice immediately launch an independent, U.S.-led investigation to deliver the absolute accountability these families deserve."
CALL TO ACTION FOR FLORIDA CITIZENS AND LEADERS:
CAIR-Florida is urgently calling on all Florida citizens, religious leaders, and civil rights organizations to amplify the demand for justice and email your US officials, urging them to take stronger measures to curb Israeli settler violence against U.S. Citizens in the West Bank:
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CAIR-Florida's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-and-cair-fl-join-global-coalition-demanding-justice-for-sayfollah-musallet-and-americans-killed-by-israeli-settlers-violence/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR Takes Government to Court Over Border Cell Phone Search
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 21, 2026:
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CAIR Takes Government to Court Over Border Cell Phone Search
Lawyers from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, took the federal government to trial this week and challenged the government's searches of Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid's cell phones at the U.S. border.
CAIR argued that Dr. Abu Irshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), was unlawfully targeted for his advocacy
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 21, 2026:
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CAIR Takes Government to Court Over Border Cell Phone Search
Lawyers from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, took the federal government to trial this week and challenged the government's searches of Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid's cell phones at the U.S. border.
CAIR argued that Dr. Abu Irshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), was unlawfully targeted for his advocacyfor Palestine. The court will decide whether the government violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights by executing the searches.
SEE: CAIR, CAIR-LA Announce Suit Against FBI for Using Illegal, Racist Watchlist Against Palestinian-Americans (https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-cair-la-announce-suit-against-fbi-for-using-illegal-racist-watchlist-against-palestinian-americans/)
"The government targeted Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid because of his advocacy for Palestine, and all but admitted as much in court," said Ahmad Kaki, Staff Attorney at CAIR Legal Defense Fund. "We hope and expect the court to find in Dr. Abu Irshaid's favor. We will continue to fight the government's illegal, invasive harassment of the Muslim community and pro-Palestine advocates across the country."
BACKGROUNDER:
The federal government has, for years, harassed and searched Dr. Abu Irshaid when he returns from international travel. Twice in 2024, customs agents forced Dr. Abu Irshaid to turn over his cell phone for an "advanced" search. These advanced searches are remarkably invasive. The Government can and likely does download all of a user's private and sensitive information during these advanced searches. Customs agents at the border must reasonably believe that a person is engaging in ongoing criminal activity to justify such a search. Agents had no legitimate reason to suspect Dr. Abu Irshaid of any crime. CAIR sued on his behalf.
As Dr. Abu Irshaid's lawsuit progressed, government defendants admitted that they searched Dr. Abu Irshaid because of his leadership of AMP, and because of slanderous statements made against AMP by U.S. Representative James Comer (R-KY-1), in his capacity as a Congressional Committee chairperson. Comer and his Committee have a history of targeting groups that criticize Israel's genocide in Gaza and that advocate for Palestinians.
SEE: House Oversight Committee continues chilling investigation into student groups and nonprofits (https://www.fire.org/news/house-oversight-committee-continues-chilling-investigation-student-groups-and-nonprofits)
At trial, CAIR argued that the customs agents' admitted reasons for the invasive searches cannot satisfy the Fourth Amendment and that, instead, the Government unlawfully targeted Dr. Abu Irshaid for his pro-Palestine advocacy. Dr. Abu Irshaid now awaits a decision from the court.
Dr. Abu Irshaid's experience is part of a disturbing and increasing trend of invasive and harassing searches at the border, targeting Muslim Americans and people advocating for Palestine, among other protected speech. CAIR continues to litigate this unlawful practice in courts around the country.
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CAIR's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-takes-government-to-court-over-border-cell-phone-search/
[Category: Sociological]
