Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Announces Refugees Welcome After Donald Trump’s Immigration Ban
Canada is taking a very different approach to immigration than the current Donald Trump Administration. In the wake of Trump’s immigration ban that will keep Syrian refugees out of the United States, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that they will welcome refugees who have been rejected by the U.S.
Additionally, Trudeau has said that he plans to speak with Donald Trump, hoping to share information about the success that Canada has had with their refugee and immigration policy. He took to social media and tweeted a picture of himself greeting a Syrian refugee child in Toronto. The caption reads:
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.”
#WelcomeToCanada pic.twitter.com/47edRsHLJ5
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 28, 2017
After Justin Trudeau’s tweet was posted, it was then retweeted more than 90,000 times while amassing over 200,000 likes on Twitter.
Toronto mayor John Tory has supported Trudeau’s position on immigration. According to CBS News, Tory said, “We understand that as Canadians we are almost all immigrants and that no one should be excluded on the basis of their ethnicity or nationality.”
Just after Justin Trudeau was elected, he oversaw the immigration of roughly 39,000 refugees to Canada. The Canadian prime minister is a strong proponent of aiding refugees who are fleeing violence and war in their home countries. So far, Trudeau has been hesitant to criticize Donald Trump, which is probably wise considering that more than three-quarters of Canada’s imports come into the United States. A Trump imposed tariff on Canadian imports could have a huge impact on the country to the north.
Considering how heavily Canadians rely on the United States to import their products, some Canadians are asking if it was a good idea for Justin Trudeau to tweet his support of the Canadian refugee program in response to Donald Trump’s immigration ban. The National Post asked that same question, citing Donald Trump as a bully and fearing that Trudeau’s tweets might just upset the POTUS and his narcissism, causing him to turn on Canada and impose taxes and tariffs that would be detrimental to the Canadian economy.
In an attempt to “keep radical Islamic terrorists out” of the United States, earlier this week Donald Trump issued a 90-day ban on immigration to the U.S. from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. Additionally, Trump’s immigration ban includes a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.
The immigration ban was extended to those holding visas and green cards as well, causing a huge upheaval at airports as those who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years are finding themselves to be refugees themselves under Trump’s ban. Many have suddenly been cut off from entry into the country with no warning whatsoever and no real reason for the ban except that Trump was inaugurated just over a week ago and has been signing executive orders are breakneck speed.
Donald Trump’s immigration ban went a step further in terms of Syrian refugees. The order bans the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely, which is upsetting to many who feel that their plight is worthy of assistance. Trump’s ban said specifically of Syrians fleeing their country, “the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States.”
Interesting enough, in 2016, the United States allowed almost 85,000 refugees in with almost half of them being Muslim. Syrian refugees made up only 12,500 of the total allowed in the U.S. last year Despite having no major problems with legal immigration or the refugees already welcomed by the U.S., this topic of banning immigration and closing the doors on refugees seems to be an important topic among American conservatives.
[Featured Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
