Caribbean Roots Lawmakers Denounce Trump Anti-Muslim Decree

Demonstrators gather outside of the Trump Hotel International during a protest on January 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. Protestors in Washington and around the country gathered to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order barring the citizens of Muslim-majority countries Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from traveling to the United States. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Jan. 30, 2017: As confusion continues to reign from the fall-out of  the Donald Trump executive order titled: “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” Caribbean roots lawmakers joined many immigrants and immigrant advocates over the weekend to denounce what quickly became known as the #MuslimBan.

People march in lower Manhattan to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies on January 29, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette Clarke was at JFK Airport on Saturday with other New York lawmakers meeting with families of many of the immigrants affected by the Trump order that was being executed by U.S. Customs and Border agents.

She said Trump created a constitutional crisis with the Muslim Ban. “We will not let him destroy America,” added the congressmember on Twitter.

On Sunday night, Congresswoman Clarke hosted an emergency meeting with the Muslim community in her district in Ditmas Park after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) temporary victory in the Courts Saturday night that halted the part of the executive order, which barred citizens from those seven countries for the next 90 days.

Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. (Photo by Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Clarke got the standing room only crowd at the event to yell “Dump Trump.”

Dominican Republic-born Congressman Adriano Espalliat was also at JFK Airport Saturday and at a Battery Park NY rally Sunday along with several other lawmakers from NYC.

“What we witnessed at #JFK is a dishonor to our American values. Trump’s #MuslimBan does not address the threat of terrorism,” he said Saturday. “Banning Muslim immigrants and refugees’ plays into the hands of those who want to do us harm.”

At a Washington rally, Jamaican-roots California Senator Kamala Harris insisted that the Trump order is “a Muslim ban, no matter how @POTUS tries to spin his way out of the mess he has created.”

Many gathered at the meeting hosted by Congresswoman Clarke on Jan. 28, 2017. (Twitter image)

And she used her Twitter to encourage refugees and all immigrants: “To immigrants and refugees being targeted by Trump: You are not alone. We are fighting for you. We will not abandon you. Don’t give up,” she Tweeted Sunday.

Trump, meanwhile, in a statement on Facebook insisted the executive order is not a ban on Muslims. “This is not about religion – this is about terror and keeping our country safe,” he posted even as observers note that all of the countries whose nationals actually committed terror against the US are not on the banned list.

“We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days,” he added. “I have tremendous feeling for the people involved in this horrific humanitarian crisis in Syria. My first priority will always be to protect and serve our country, but as President I will find ways to help all those who are suffering.”

WHAT IMMIGRANTS SHOULD KNOW

The order:

Applies to all individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. That includes Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) or green card holders, nonimmigrant visa holders, immigrant visa holders, refugees, derivative asylees, Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), etc.

Anyone who holds a passport from a designated country is considered as being “from” the designated country. This includes dual citizens who hold passports from a designated country, as well as a non-designated country.

There appears to be some limited discretion for the Department of Homeland Security to admit LPRs on a case-by-case basis, and following a thorough security review. LPRs will be allowed to board planes. Their cases will be adjudicated at the port of entry.

Non-immigrants, meanwhile, will be allowed to withdraw their application for admission. Expedited removal will generally only be used for those individuals who do not wish to withdraw their application for admission.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association is urging all attorneys to consider advising clients who might be affected by the Trump executive order to refrain from traveling outside of the United States at least for 90 days.

The Council of Islamic Affairs is advising green card holders or lawfully permanent residents affected by the ban and now outside of the U.S. to reach out to an immigration attorney before they travel back to the U.S.

“If you do plan to travel back to the US, you should fill out a USCIS G-28 form first that officially appoints an attorney to represent you in immigration situations and have that completed form with you as you board your flight,” CAIR said in a notice.

They also warned green card holders not to sign an I-407 form at the airport if asked to by any customs agent and if a relative or loved one is facing an emergency at the airport or are returning to the US in the coming days, call the CAIR National number: 202.488.8787.