Close X
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

'It's Wrong On All Levels': Canadians Affected By Trump's Travel Ban Speak Out

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Jan, 2017 12:13 PM
    VANCOUVER — The only reason Athba Samarai and her husband moved thousands of kilometres from their homes in Iraq, she says, was so their children could grow up happily and safely in Canada.
     
    But this week, the 35-year-old financial manager found herself struggling to explain to her young kids why U.S. President Donald Trump wants to temporarily ban people born in Iraq from crossing the border.
     
    "We lived through an era of oppression and we came all the way here to let our kids live in harmony and peace," said Samarai. "We never thought that this could happen here."
     
    Samarai, who lives in Calgary, is among scores of Canadian permanent residents from the seven countries affected by Trump's executive order who say their ability to travel to the U.S. is in limbo.
     
    Although the Canadian government has assured permanent residents they will be allowed to cross the border, Samarai and others say U.S. authorities have been less clear and they fear they will be detained.
     
    She said she had planned to fly via Seattle on Saturday to her sister's wedding, but had to rebook her flights to avoid the U.S. Her in-laws, aunt, uncle and cousins all live in the U.S. and now she and her husband can't visit them, she said.
     
    Her father-in-law has a green card and can't leave the U.S. because he fears he won't be allowed back in, she added, while her grandmother had to rebook a flight at the last minute to avoid a U.S. connection because the 82-year-old feared being interrogated.
     
    "It's wrong on all levels," she said.
     
     
    Samarai said she's happy and grateful to live in Canada, but was dismayed by hateful Facebook comments in response to her family's story, and devastated by Sunday's attack on a Quebec City mosque.
     
    "I just want to ask every single person who is born here, who is not challenged in any way about where he came from or which God he prays to. ... If this happened to you, if you were displaced because of who you are or where you were born, how would you react?"
     
    Danny Ramadan, 32, said he had been looking forward to promoting his upcoming novel, "The Clothesline Swing," in the U.S. His publisher had planned for the Syrian-born Canadian permanent resident to attend literary events south of the border.
     
    "It is important to me to be able to celebrate my achievement," he said.
     
    But he said despite the Canadian government's assurances, he won't risk crossing the border.
     
     
    Ramadan, an LGBTQ activist in Vancouver, said his boyfriend had bought him Britney Spears tickets in Las Vegas in March, but they've decided to go to Mexico instead.
     
    He said having to change his vacation plans was a "first-world problem," but he noted the irony of his situation, given that Trump said the executive order was aimed at keeping out potential terrorists.
     
    "I'm a gay guy who wants to see Britney Spears. How much less of a terrorist could I be?" he asked with a laugh.
     
    Wyle Baoween, a permanent Canadian resident in Vancouver who was born in Yemen, launched a company, HRx Technology, which aims to eliminate discrimination in hiring. He has a wife and an 18-month-old daughter, and typically travels to the U.S. two or three times a year.
     
    He said he feels "helpless" and the travel ban goes against his company's goals.
     
    "It is our belief and mission ... to treat people equally, no matter their gender or race," he said. "To find myself a target for this, it's very frustrating."
     
    The University of British Columbia has launched a task force to assist the estimated 80 faculty or staff and 350 students who are from the affected countries.
     
    Mohammad Rafatinasr, a 32-year-old Iranian mechanical engineer who earned his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan and is now on a post-graduation work permit, said he was blocked from boarding a flight in Vancouver on Saturday to a research conference in Las Vegas. 
     
    Despite applying for a U.S. visa three months ago and receiving it last week, he was told when he tried to check in that he was "inadmissable."
     
    "I was hearing the news, but I didn't expect that it would apply right away, or even to me," he said. "I've lived in Canada for five years. I went through a very strong security check. Suddenly, I'm inadmissable."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Kamala Harris Slams Donald Trump For Picking Jeff Sessions As Attorney General

    Kamala Harris Slams Donald Trump For Picking Jeff Sessions As Attorney General
    Kamala Harris, the first Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate, has criticised President-elect Donald Trump's decision to tap Senator Jeff Sessions for the post of attorney general.

    Kamala Harris Slams Donald Trump For Picking Jeff Sessions As Attorney General

    Ami Bera gets 3rd term in US House

    Bera, 51, would be joined by three first-time Indian-American lawmakers in the US House of Representatives — Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois, Pramila Jayapal from Washington State and Ro Khanna from California.

    Ami Bera gets 3rd term in US House

    Goa, Hawaii To Soon Have Sister-state Relationship: US Lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard

    Goa, Hawaii To Soon Have Sister-state Relationship: US Lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard
    The American State of Hawaii would soon have a formal Sister-State relationship with Goa, a US lawmaker has said.

    Goa, Hawaii To Soon Have Sister-state Relationship: US Lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard

    Dead Humpback Whale Found Tangled In Defunct Fish Farm In B.C.

    Dead Humpback Whale Found Tangled In Defunct Fish Farm In B.C.
    A dead humpback whale has been was found stuck in equipment at an empty fish farm on B.C.'s central coast.

    Dead Humpback Whale Found Tangled In Defunct Fish Farm In B.C.

    Police Arrest 'Young Man' In Connection To Racist Graffiti In Ottawa

    Police Arrest 'Young Man' In Connection To Racist Graffiti In Ottawa
    At a solidarity event at a south-end synagogue, Chief Charles Bordeleau said a young man was arrested Saturday morning after he was allegedly found trying to deface the Jewish Community Centre.

    Police Arrest 'Young Man' In Connection To Racist Graffiti In Ottawa

    Exiled Cleric Could Pose Risk To Canadian-Turkish Relations: Diplomat

    Exiled Cleric Could Pose Risk To Canadian-Turkish Relations: Diplomat
    A senior Turkish politician attending the Halifax International Security Forum says Donald Trump's election could spell trouble for relations with Canada if a U.S.-based Muslim dissident his country wants extradited seeks refuge north of the border.

    Exiled Cleric Could Pose Risk To Canadian-Turkish Relations: Diplomat