January 28, 2017 (Day 9 - Chaos at Immigration in US Airports)
Dear Diary, today in the sh*t-blizzard known as the Trump “Presidency”...
Trump’s “overly broad” immigration ban has been sharply criticized by Nobel Prize winners, evangelical Christians (”an affront to human dignity”), Democrats, at least two Republicans (1), religious groups, business leaders, academics, the United Nations, the Germans, French, and British, random annoyed Muslims (2), and the American public at large, the latter of whom responded with a number of enraged protests once it became known that perfectly legal citizens were being detained at airports across the country. According to a New York Times article, “Thousands of protesters rushed to airports to demand the release of people who were being held on arrival.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada offered welcome to those fleeing “persecution, terror & war,” adding “Diversity is our strength.” I’m downloading my immigration paperwork now, Justin (may I call you Justin?). Please save me a spot.
Trump clarified that Christian refugees would be given priority entry status when refugee acceptance resumed. (Wow, that could in no way be interpreted as religious discrimination, which would, of course, be illegal.) I assume that his new-found concern for Christians (in whom he showed no particular interest prior to needing their votes) is a way to keep evangelicals on side. In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, the P-word falsely claimed that the US made it impossible for Christian refugees to enter the country. (3)
The ACLU and other advocacy groups filed a lawsuit on behalf of two detainees caught up in Trump’s Muslim ban. One of the men was Hameed Kalid Darweesh, a US Government contractor and interpreter responsible for helping keep US soldiers alive in Iraq. The other detainee had arrived on a legal and valid “Follow to Join” visa, to be reunited with his wife and 7-year-old son. “Immigration officials at John F. Kennedy Airport said there was no other reason than President Trump’s executive order to detain the men.”
In response to the ACLU’s suit, Judge Ann Donnelly of Federal District Court in Brooklyn granted a temporary injunction to block the deportation of those stranded by the P-word’s Muslim ban. She very tactfully offered her opinion that “the government hasn’t had a full chance to think about this.” Ya think? Minister of Propaganda Kellyanne Conjob attempted to inject partisan motives into the judge’s decision as she sneered at the ruling the following day.
(1) Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania opposed Trump’s orders. Dent said, “This is ridiculous. The order was rushed through without any nuances toward immigration policy, and this can be life or death for some people.”
(2) “I thought in America, there were institutions and democracy,” said Fuad Sharef, 51, an Iraqi Kurd bound for New York. Yes, Fuad, so did we.
(3) Not true. “The United States admitted a record number of 38,901 Muslim refugees in 2016, according to a study conducted by Pew [Research]. But nearly the same number of Christians [who comprise about 1% of the Syrian population], 37,521 were also admitted.“ Trump says US will prioritize Christian refugees, CNN, January 28, 2017
#project hail mary
#the amazing digital circus
#coquette
#photography
#heated rivalry
