Trump's executive order on immigration brings out the true colors of people
Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons
by Madina Safdari
On Friday January 27, Trump added a new executive order concerning immigration to his already lengthy list of goals. He placed a ban on the admission of refugees from seven Muslim majority countries—Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia—for 120 days and bars Syrian refugees indefinitely.
Immediately after the signing of this executive order, immigrants coming to the United States were detained for a long period of time at airports all over the country, according to Cable News Network (CNN). The number of people detained varied with differing airports. However, it is important to note that people with valid green cards and visas, granting them citizenship, were also detained among the rest of the refugees.
This executive action has sparked immediate response by many individuals over the past weekend. Protests gathered at numerous airports across the United States, the most prominent of them being John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport.
Among the protesters were lawyers volunteering their time pro bono to help the people detained exercise their constitutional rights. The crowds were filled with people protesting the unconstitutional nature of the ban, as well as welcoming the detainees when they were eventually released.
Moreover, the protests were not contained to the airports themselves, as many people voiced their opinions on social media and other outlets. With the increase of Trump's notoriety, more prominent individuals are becoming vocal with their political stances.
Just within the first 11 days of his presidency, and with the recent immigration ban instigating more outrage, companies like Uber, Twitter, Facebook, and Google are participating in the political rhetoric.
Specifically in terms of Uber, the company seemed to have a large misunderstanding with its customers which led to the hashtag "delete uber." It was perceived that Uber was trying to make profits off the protests which prompted many customers to delete their accounts, even after Uber tried to mitigate the situation.
On the other hand, Lyft choose to donate one million dollars, over the course of the next four years, to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) so they have the funds to defend free speech, fight for reproductive rights, and altogether serve as an advocate for social justice issues. Aside from Lyft's generous donation, this weekend alone the ACLU was able to raise 24 million dollars in comparison to the usual 4 million they raise in a year, according to Al Jazeera.
However, the responses do not stop there. On January 27, Mark Zuckerberg released a statement concerning the ban, Twitter expressed its solidarity with immigrants, and Google employees in offices around the world staged a walkout over Trump's executive order.
Among all these reactions, it is clear to see that the pattern of complacency and ignorance is no longer acceptable when it comes to politics and injustice. Slowly but surely, people of all different backgrounds are becoming individual advocates for activism and social justice.
Posted in NewsTagged Madina Safdari, News
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