Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday, Jan. 27 to ban citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries to travel to and from the United States.
President Trump signed the 90-day ban that suspends travel from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. However, the order was halted by the Department of Homeland Security over the weekend of Feb. 4.
Still, Trump’s words concerned some, including individuals on Keene State College’s campus.
Andrea Cuzzupe / Equinox Staff
Keene State junior Hassan Dayo is originally from Somalia and said he is reluctant to travel the U.S. airlines under these unsure conditions. “I do have family back in Kenya and Somalia still. I’ve been trying to visit my family over the summer, but after hearing what I just heard, I don’t think it’d be possible for me to go,” he said.
Others have taken this as an opportunity to speak out. Dozens of protests occurred all over the country in states such as New York, California, Washington D.C. and others.
Keene State Professor of Women and Gender Studies Taneem Husain said she believes in using the community’s voice to stop this legislation.
“I think what we can do now is try to be as vocal as we can in terms of protesting. Having bodies in the streets demonstrates that people in the nation are concerned about the cause. So, write to your representative and join protests. Being vocal against the ban is probably the most that we can do now, particularly for representatives,” she said.
As for Keene State College, President Dr. Anne E. Huot sent out an e-mail to all students at the college on Monday, Jan. 30.
Her e-mail stated that our faculty supports all members of the community and anyone with questions or concerns on immigration can report to the Global Education Office and/or The Office of Multicultural Student Support.
“This is clearly an evolving situation where more specifics are needed.
College administrators are participating in conversations at the state and national levels and will continue to track and share information as it develops. Most importantly, we will stand with each other as we move through this time of uncertainty,” she stated in the email.
As of last weekend, the Washington Post claims a federal judge in Washington state blocked the ban nationwide temporarily last Friday.
Trump again took to Twitter stating, “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” On Saturday, the Trump Administration filed for an appeal on the decision.
The Washington Post also states, directly after the appeal on Sunday, a federal appeals court ruled that the ban would remain suspended for the time being. More information is expected to come Monday and Tuesday.
Chief Officer of Diversity and Multiculturalism Dr. Dottie Morris said diversity is what makes our school systems whole. Morris said, “For the work that I do and what I know to be true, the power of having a diverse community with people from multiple cultures involved in their community, I think of it as the mother of innovation. It adds a certain richness with all different backgrounds. If people are concerned about coming to the United States, as a culture, we lose a lot of innovative thoughts, innovative ideas, as well as good connections with other people.”
Grace Kelly can be contacted at gkelly@kscequinox.com
