Muslims to march on White House in bid to dismantle discriminatory registry
Muslims to march on White House in bid to dismantle discriminatory registry
Ed Pilkington
The Guardian
Thousands of American Muslims and activists from progressive groups will march on the White House on Monday in a last-ditch effort to persuade Barack Obama to dismantle a discriminatory program that singled out Arabs and Muslims for surveillance, before it falls into the hands of Donald Trump.
Talks have been proceeding at the highest levels of the Obama administration, involving senior officials from both White House and Department of Homeland Security. The Guardian understands that scrapping NSEERs is actively being considered within the administration as one of the most concrete steps that the current president could take to protect vulnerable groups and individuals from the threatened actions of his successor.
So it falls to Obama in the dying days of his presidency to decide whether or not to dismantle the disused shell of the program. He could do so by issuing a notice and comment rule announcing the end of the scheme, but that would require a 30-day public consultation period which is now all but impossible.
Alternatively, he could claim an exemption that would allow him to scrap NSEERs without first going to the public. By doing that, and by rescinding the regulatory framework altogether, he would force the incoming Trump administration to start from scratch in rebuilding a Muslim registry.
Any roadblock Obama can erect to slow down Trump is a good idea, especially if it protects the vulnerable.