CNN: Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush Responds to Trump's Religious Liberty Commission
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Tracking Trump's executive orders: DEI programs in Foreign Service
Date Signed: March 19, 2025
Status: Implemented
Key Provisions:
- The Executive Office has declared that the “discriminatory” hiring practices outlined in Executive Order 14173 will now also be applied to appointments and hiring in the foreign service.
- The Executive Office reaffirmed their harmful position that DEI-related actions are unlawful and mandates that hiring be based solely on merit.
- President Trump also ordered that employees and foreign service members cannot advocate for or support policies that support or mention “Discriminatory Equity Ideology” (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accountability).
Interfaith Alliance Counterpoints:
- Interfaith Alliance condemns the removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) considerations from hiring and promotion in the Foreign Service, as mandated by this Executive Order.
- These employment practices are a safeguard against discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, and religion, and help to create a more inclusive and equitable workforce. These efforts ensure that individuals from all backgrounds - especially those who have historically faced discrimination - have a fair chance to succeed based on merit, fostering a Foreign Service that reflects the diversity of the nation it represents.
- The administration’s decision disregards these practices’ critical role in addressing systemic barriers and ensuring equal opportunity in federal employment. By removing these guardrails, the Trump administration is putting marginalized communities at a greater risk of being subjected to employment discrimination, including based on their deeply held religious and spiritual beliefs.
Transcript
The Trump Administration’s Latest Attacks on Muslim Community Leaders
After months in detention, we finally received the good news that Ohio chaplain Ayman Soliman was released from jail as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dropped his deportation case. Soliman was an interfaith chaplain at a children’s hospital and a longtime leader of the Ohio Muslim community with deep ties to interfaith work across the state. As ProPublica reported, Soliman’s asylum status was restored and his application for a green card was revived. This news came through the dedicated hard work and advocacy of many organizations, particularly CAIR-Ohio and his colleagues at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who were fired for speaking out on his behalf.
Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation case has alarming implications
Earlier this year, during the holy month of Ramadan, ICE agents followed Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil home after he broke his fast and forcibly detained him without a warrant. Khalil, a Palestinian activist, was then disappeared into an unmarked vehicle and taken to an unknown location as his pregnant wife watched and pleaded for information. It was later revealed that Khalil had been moved to a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, where he faced deportation. He was held for over three months in poor conditions, missing his graduation and the birth of his first child.
True Religious Freedom Means Protecting Our Faith Leaders, Not Detaining Them
In early July, Ayman Soliman, a former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his asylum status was terminated in June. In response, local faith leaders organized a prayer vigil, rally, and peaceful march; during the march at least 15 protesters were detained by local police and charged with felony rioting.