On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on immigration that “indefinitely barred Syrian refugees from entering the United States, suspended all refugee admissions for 120 days and blocked citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, refugees or otherwise, from entering the United States for 90 days: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen,” as the New York Times reported.
Following this news, shouts of protest and support for refugees reverberated across the country. Thousands of people have been gathering over the weekend to protest the move.
Late Saturday night, Judge Ann Donnelly of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn granted a emergency stay on the order, blocking deportations of people with valid visas who landed in the U.S.
Starting on Saturday, protests have been popping up in airports (including the Philadelphia International Airport) where visitors and green-card carrying citizens — along with refugees — were stopped and some were even blocked from entering the U.S.
Amid the protests, Twitter has been filled with messages supporting refugees and immigrants as well as organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed the lawsuit.
Jewish celebrities and government officials have taken to Twitter to express their thoughts and concerns, share pictures from protests they’ve participated in and encourage making donations.
Pennsylvania was founded on religious freedom. We will resist attempts to discriminate against people based on their faith.
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) January 29, 2017
My 13-y-o is behind this sign. #proudJewishmother #NoBanNoWall #PhillyResists pic.twitter.com/fGjvCmQjuT
— Jennifer Weiner (@jenniferweiner) January 29, 2017
Places I just donated and you can too: International Refugee Assistance Project, @ACLU, @NILC_org
— Rachel Bloom (@Racheldoesstuff) January 29, 2017
If you have ANYTHING to give, please do. I just did. Fear kicks in &I have to keep telling myself: Dont retreat! Act! Act now. Do what u can https://t.co/tdEQLCsAlZ
— jenny slate (@jennyslate) January 29, 2017
I absolutely oppose this Muslim ban. But why does it effect only countries with no Trump properties? Follow the $.
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) January 29, 2017
Refugees are FLEEING TERROR. They are not terrorists. #muslimban
— Emmy Rossum (@emmyrossum) January 28, 2017
One of the many reasons I am opposed to the #MuslimBan is because my family immigrated to North America (????) after fleeing wars in Russia.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) January 29, 2017
One of the other reasons I oppose the #MuslimBan is that I feel it's prime effect is persecuting innocent refugees.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) January 29, 2017
Help. pic.twitter.com/fYf8zCfm27
— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) January 29, 2017
Go @ACLU! https://t.co/fwdw4ysetJ
— Simon Helberg (@simonhelberg) January 29, 2017
National and local organizations have also chimed in to encourage inclusion.
We've been welcoming the stranger to New York for over 135 years. We don't intend to stop now. #RefugeesWelcome pic.twitter.com/gvlVlR5ZQq
— HIAS (@HIASrefugees) January 28, 2017
All are welcome at the National Museum of American Jewish History. pic.twitter.com/fB3w5hbwAM
— AmericanJewishMuseum (@NMAJH) January 29, 2017
Once we were strangers, too. #RefugeesWelcome
— ADL (@ADL) January 29, 2017
Contact: mstern@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
Yes we too were immigrants but our ancestors weren’t blowing up buildings, strapping suicide vests on to themselves to kill and maim people running a marathon nor were they plowing trucks into innocent people on holiday.
FALSE equilancy!