The Impact Of Trump’s Immigration Order Is Immediate & Agonising For Many

Sara Murphy
Photo: Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.
The impact of President Donald Trump's latest executive order suspending immigration from several predominantly Muslim countries is already felt worldwide. On Friday, on his eighth day in office, President Trump signed the executive action limiting the flow of refugees into the U.S. by instituting what he calls "extreme vetting" of immigrants. Admission of Syrian refugees has been stopped indefinitely, while immigration from seven additional countries (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia) has been barred for 90 days, reports CNN. Trump described these new measures as an effort to "keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America," telling reporters in attendance at the order's signing, "we don't want them here. We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people." As the policies were swiftly put into action, refugees and professionals alike have found themselves navigating a new set of rules overnight – or, even, in some cases, mid-flight.
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Some now worry for family members who had travelled abroad.
While others now find themselves fearful of future travel.
Many are calling out the ban as hypocritical.
Oscar-nominated director Asghar Farhadi is among those affected by the new regulations. The filmmaker, whose movie, The Salesman, is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, will be unable to enter the country to attend the Academy Awards this year due to the ban, reports The Independent.
Malala Yousafzai took to Facebook to share her "heartbreak" at the new regulations and "ask President Trump not to turn his back on the world’s most defenceless children and families."
She is not the only high-profile person to speak out about the executive order. Silicon Valley actor Kumail Nanjiani shared his personal experience with immigration, while others, like Jessica Chastain, Sophia Bush, and more tweeted messages of shock and solidarity.
Meanwhile, a "Refugees Welcome" protest has erupted at John F. Kennedy Airport today following the detainment of two Iraqi refugees, reports NBC News New York. One of the detainees, Hameed Jhalid Darweesh, has since been released from custody, but the protest shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, as news of the gathering spreads through social media and more demonstrators arrive at the New York airport toting handmade signs.
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