Democrat's Religious Liberty Bill Blocks Trump's Muslim Register Plans

Trump's plan to force Muslim immigrants in the United States to register could be blocked by a bill introduced to Senate last week.

The Protect American Families Act 2017 would ban the creation of any immigrant-related list that required people to "register or check in on the basis of religion, race, age, gender, ethnicity, national origin, nationality, or citizenship."

Introduced on Thursday by Democrat Senator Cory Booker, it would prohibit the US government from creating or funding such a list.

"Religious freedom and freedom from discrimination are fundamental rights central to the very idea of being an American," said Booker.

"Forcing people to sign up for a registry based on their religion, race, or national origin does nothing to keep America secure. It does, however, undermine the freedom of religion guaranteed by our Constitution and promote the false notion that people of certain faiths and nationalities are inherently suspect.

"Our legislation would block Donald Trump and subsequent administrations from infringing on religious liberty by creating an immigration-related religious registry. Throughout our history, the United States has been a beacon of hope for those seeking religious freedom, and has taken significant steps forward to advance civil and human rights. We must ensure this legacy lasts forever into the future."

Booker was supported by several other Democrat senators including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, a former candidate for the party's presidential nominee.

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to create a register based on their religion, a move akin to the register of Jews in Nazi Germany.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee backed the bill, saying it would help protect vulnerable communities.

"Our country is not made safer by using profiling as a policing method - profiling is ineffective and unreliable," committee members said in a statement. "People should not be judged by how they look, where they came from, or how they pray."