Christian Syrians Defend Trump’s Immigration Halt
Christians from Syria are saying they understand why President Donald Trump placed a temporary ban on immigration from Middle Eastern countries.
A group of Syrians from Allentown, Penn., discussed why Trump’s executive order makes sense, reports The Washington Post. Allentown has been home to Syrian Americans for decades, many of whom immigrated from Syria’s “Christian Valley.”
“Trump is right, in a way, to do what he’s doing. This country is going into a disaster,” Elias Shetayh said, speaking about the executive order. Shetayh and his wife have lived in the United States for decades.
A community leader, Aziz Wehbey expressed concern over the vetting process and how little is known about the background of refugees.
“We would not like to bring refugees for a simple reason: We do not know their background,” he said. “We’re concerned about, if God forbid a terrorist attack happened here … then we’re all labeled as bad people. I hate to say it.”
While many of the Syrian Americans agree that the refugee vetting process needs to be stronger, some of them disagreed with certain parts of the executive order. Fouad and Mouna Younes said they were worried about families with visas.
“These poor people are coming from war. For them to get here and all of a sudden to be told — and they’re legal and have visas — and all of a sudden you tell them, ‘You can’t come in. You have to go back’ — that’s a shame,” Fouad Younes said.
Shetayh added that he felt they were being unfairly labeled as terrorists.
Trump’s executive order, signed Friday, launched numerous protests. The order places a temporary halt on refugee entrance for the next 120 days and bans all Syrian refugee entrance indefinitely.
Various protesters gathered at airports to rally against the order. Activists groups like Black Lives Matter and Charlotte Uprising staged a protest at an airport baggage claim. The groups chanted “No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here.”
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