Defenders who support immigrant rights reaffirm their commitment to protecting migrants and refugees after the draft of the Trump administration, which proposes travel and restrictions from 43 countries earlier this month.
Several cultural and migratory groups, including the Arab -American Work Network, the United States of Africa, and the Asian Americans who are advancing justice, and central Romero, and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugees, held a press conference at Federal Plaza on Wednesday to address the draft travel ban, which was reported by the New York newspaper for the first time. A group of supporters with signs stood up, “Keep the Families Together” and “Defense of the Sanctuary” behind the speakers.
“This proposal will also lead to the ban on refugees and depriving people who flee conflict, persecution and natural disasters the opportunity for refugee demand,” said Vasika Ayman, Director of Programs at the United Nations Organization of Africa. “This has nothing to do with national security. This is related to exclusion. It is reckless, it's harsh, it's hatred for foreigners.”
The draft, which has not been officially implemented, is all prohibited to the United States from Afghanistan, Batutan, Puta, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. It also strongly restricts traveling from 32 other countries. Activists called it the latest repetition of the Trump travel ban, which targets non -white countries. During his first term in 2017, Trump's ban on travel from a handful of majority of Islamic countries sparked mass protests and court challenges.
Activists said that the potential ban creates more fear and uncertainty in Chicago and outside for immigrants who already live on the brink of the abyss during the Trump presidency. Ayman said he could prevent people from traveling to see the family for important celebrations such as graduation, wedding parties and religious holidays.
The organizers said that although the embargo did not come into effect, the attacks on immigrants have already begun. A Palestinian family that arrived at the O'Hare Airport was divided from Tel Aviv, and a member was deported to Poland despite the presence of a valid visa, according to Mohamed Sancari, the main organizer of the American -Arab Work Network, which worked to obtain family resources and information after the deportation.
He is afraid that there will be more deportation.
“Unfortunately, we understand that you are part of this broader attack on migrant societies as a whole that only occurred under this administration, but it was escalating under this administration,” Sancari said.
