Hundreds of people turned out to a rally organized by the Council on American-Islamic-Connecticut, a Muslim civil rights groups, at Bradley International Airport Friday to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order surrounding immigration, which barred all refugees from entering the United States for four months, indefinitely halted any from Syria, and suspended nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for 90 days.
CAIR-CT referred to the president’s actions as a “Muslim Ban” Executive Orders and condemned the actions as a “religious test” for immigration into the US.
The order signed by the president on Friday put a 120-day hold on entry of refugees to the US, and indefinitely suspends the admission of Syrian refugees until the president is satisfied that changes have been made.
It also suspends entry for 90 days from certain nations based on a statute related to the Visa Waiver Program. Currently the countries on the list are Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.
The president’s actions drew protests at airports around the country over the weekend as some were barred from boarding US flights or detained upon their arrival to the US.
At Bradley, protesters chanted various slogans including "The ban is un-American" and "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here."
Organizers said they were surprised by the number of people who attended and glad to see the state's residents rally behind the cause.
“We thought that this was executive order was discriminatory, was racist and we felt that we had to come out and join our fellow Americans in protesting it,” said CAIR-CT Chairman Farhan Memon.
Memon said to his knowledge no one had been detained at Bradley, but the airport only provides international flights from two foreign countries - from Canada and from Ireland. He said they chose the location for its symbolic significance.
Local
“This is where immigrants come to America. In the past immigrants used to come through America through Ellis Island, now we come to America at airports. And immigration is the strength of America. We are stronger as a country because of immigrants from around the world,” he said.
The executive order has seen pushback from many, including a federal judge, who blocked part of the order, granting an injunction requested by the ACLU and other legal organizations. The stay blocks anyone with a valid visa being held at airports from being deported.
Supports of the executive order said there are issues with the current immigration system and when someone new comes in it is normal to review the process.
Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party JR Romano said Donald Trump is not the first president to issue a travel ban, and that the government is “hitting the pause button” to ensure the safety of the lives of American citizens and families.
He said there was a lot of incompetence in Barack Obama’s refugee policy and raising the process to 90 days is not unreasonable to evaluate the system.
Romano also commented that today’s protesters at Bradley were people who were upset that Donald Trump won the election.
“They want to do everything that they can to make sure everyone does not unify,” he said.
