We Love and Want You Here
A Nation Mourns as Trump Bans Immigrants and Refugees
President Donald Trump stunned the world on Friday, January 27 when he signed the Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States executive order. With the stroke of a pen, hundreds of people were detained at our nation’s airports, sending the world into a state of disbelief, confusion, and protest.
During a press conference at the George Bush Center for Intelligence, Trump claimed his actions would protect the United States from radical religious groups who pose a terrorist threat. As federal law enforcement agencies and airport staff moved to respond to this ill-conceived and regressive executive order, so, too, did immigration lawyers and advocates, families, activists, and entire communities, in defense of the human rights of immigrants and refugees.
Among the numerous reports of people being detained since the executive order was signed, included are a Sudanese PhD student at Stanford University with a green card who was eventually released; a Syrian family of six flying into Philadelphia from Qatar were sent back on a plane; Iraqis who had worked for years with the U.S. military being denied entry; and U.S. tech companies recalling its foreign workers to avoid possible negative impact due to the ban.
Regardless of what we look like, where we live, or what we believe in, we are all impacted by the xenophobic and racist actions of the Trump administration. America is nation of immigrants. We are made of people from around the globe who have come together for opportunity, for the promise of a new life, personal liberty, and to try their best in the pursuit of happiness. This is a country that, despite our differences, has striven to model humanity, that has provided people with a beacon of hope.
Now we cannot proclaim those values with a President who has signed an order attacking immigrant and refugee communities. Despite this, the will and determination of our people to resist blatant fascism remains undeterred.
As the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) continues to take legal action against the White House, as advocacy and human rights organizations bring communities together in this fight, and as we ordinary citizens stand up, together, against tyranny, we will resist. We will protect our most vulnerable.
This is not our America. We must take it back and now is the time. We possess the collective power to stand up against policies that unjustly impact our Muslim friends. We will not remain silent on this issue because we are an united and not divided nation. Here’s how you can help right now.
Give: Donate to immigration legal funds and advocacy groups such as:
ACLU: www.aclu.org
American Immigration Council: www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
CAIR: www.cair.com
International Rescue Committee: www.rescue.org
International Refugee Assistance Project: refugeerights.org
National Immigrant Justice Center: www.immigrantjustice.org
National Immigration Project: www.nationalimmigrationproject.org
Join: Find where community activists and local organizations are gathering, marching, or protesting
Call: Demand elected officials to take a stand for the human rights of immigrants and refugees right now.
