Today, the US Supreme Court decided to uphold the travel ban designed by the Trump administration. The ban restricts nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and even America’s “newest ally” North Korea, from entering the United States.
This is the third version of the travel ban since its inception and after having run through various courts. Initially, critics called previous versions an anti-Muslim travel ban, however, now they are having to reconsider that label now that the ban also includes Venezuela and North Korea. The countries named are on the list because the Trump administration says they are either terror threats or uncooperative with the US.
Airbnb Co-founders, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, have this to say about the most recent version of the ban and the Supreme’s Court decision to uphold it:
We are profoundly disappointed by the Court’s decision. The travel ban is a policy that goes against our mission and values — to restrict travel based on a person’s nationality or religion is wrong.
And while today’s news is a setback, we will continue the fight with organizations that are helping those impacted. Airbnb will be matching donations to the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) up to a total of $150,000 through September 30, 2018 to support their work advocating for systemic change and legal pathways for those affected by the travel ban. If you’d like to join us, you can donate here.
We believe that travel is a transformative and powerful experience and that building bridges between cultures and communities creates a more innovative, collaborative and inspired world. At Airbnb, we are so grateful to our community who will continue to open doors around the world so that together, we can travel forward.
