Thousands Fight Back Against Unjust Immigration Ban
Haitians have long felt the effects of harsh and unjust American immigration policies. Last week, the U.S. added one more indelible stain to its history book, targeting another group of people based solely on their nationalities and religion.
On Friday, January 27, 2017, the U.S.’s newly elected president signed an executive order, which bans people from seven muslim majority countries—Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, and Libya—from entering the United States for the next 90 days. This executive order also bars all refugees from entering the country for the next 120 days. Outrageously, not even U.S. green card holders, dual citizens, or those already approved for visas are exempt from the ban.
Photo by Kate Menard
In a show of solidarity for those attempting to enter the United States following the ban from any of the seven countries listed, protests erupted at international airports around the country. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawyers also rushed in to make every effort to prevent deportations from taking place.
On Saturday, January 28th, Federal Judge Ann M. Donnelly of the Eastern District of New York Courthouse in Brooklyn heard arguments put forth by ACLU lawyers in New York. At the center of their case were two men named Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi being detained at JFK. In a clear instance of injustice, Darweesh had served as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Iraq and was now being threatened with deportation from the very country he had aided.
Ruling the deportations of both men unjust, Judge Donnelly granted them a stay, preventing them from being kicked out of the country. Her ruling in New York also stood for those from any of the seven countries, with valid papers, being threatened with deportation across the country.
With the awareness that there is still much work to be done, protests against the muslim ban continued into the next day. With sponsorship from various civil rights organizations, including The New York Immigration
Photo credit: Daily Stormer
Coalition, Make the Road New York, African Communities Together, National Immigration Law Center, New York City Anti-Violence Project, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, National Partnership for New Americans, and others, the protest in Battery Park on Sunday drew an estimated 10,000 people to rally in view of the Statue of Liberty in downtown Manhattan.
Leaders who attended and spoke at the rally included New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Representative Nydia Velázquez, New York Representative Carolyn Maloney, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and Women’s March co-organizer Linda Sarsour, Women’s March co-organizer Tamika Mallory, and others. Following the rally, protesters marched to 26 Federal Plaza where the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office is located.
Photo Credit: New York Daily News.
I attended the rally and protest and took some photos, which I hope give a sense of the sentiments of those who came together to call for equal rights for all immigrants in the United States.
Photo by Kate Menard for Eline Magazine
