UCI demonstrators protest Trump’s orders on immigration
When members of the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine saw protesters descending on international airports in cities such as Los Angeles and New York over the weekend, they began to organize their own rally to show solidarity with demonstrations nationwide against President Trump’s executive order to temporarily bar citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
“It was really inspiring seeing the protests at the airports,” said Zinab Alsadek, public relations chairwoman for the Muslim Student Union at UCI. “It just shows that we’re all on the same team, that we want to make America inclusive of all different faiths and backgrounds.”
Dozens of students gathered at noon Monday for the two-hour rally, which also expressed dissatisfaction with Trump’s order last week to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
The crowd of demonstrators grew to more than 100 after more students and also faculty members joined as the group marched through the Student Center and past Langson Library.
Chants of “Let them in” and “No ban, no wall” echoed among the marchers. A sign bearing the message “Refugees, Muslims, immigrants welcome” was carried toward the front of the line.
Members of Hermanos Unidos de UCI, an organization focused on increasing the retention and graduation rates of Latino males on campus, set up a carne asada quesadilla booth on the school’s Ring Road area Monday for a club fundraiser. They took a break from cooking and applauded the demonstrators as they walked toward the Student Center.
“It’s very humbling to see this kind of support,” Muslim Student Union member Selma Hassane said. Increasing awareness was an important objective of the rally, she added.
Trump’s executive order Friday barred entry to the United States of immigrant and nonimmigrant nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days “to ensure that adequate standards are established to prevent infiltration by foreign terrorists or criminals.”
The order also suspended refugee admissions from any country for 120 days and the admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely.
A temporary stay issued by a New York federal judge on Saturday meant travelers who had been granted permission to be in the United States couldn’t be deported upon re-entry, pending a permanent ruling.
On Sunday, the president issued a statement reading: “To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order.
“My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months,” the statement said. “The seven countries named in the executive order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror.”
Hassane said Monday that “these refugees who are coming are escaping terror.”
Alsadek said that while it’s true that not all Muslim-majority countries are involved, “regardless of what country you are from, you will feel judged. That goes for anyone who looks Muslim or comes from a Muslim-majority country.”
A statement posted Sunday on the Muslim Student Union website said, “The Muslim Student Union stands against the many ways in which anti-Muslim and xenophobic hatred manifests itself, including hate speech and hate crimes … and prejudice that targets refugees and immigrants of all backgrounds.”
Kyung Hyun Kim, a UCI professor of east Asian languages and literature who immigrated to the United States from South Korea as a teenager, joined the marchers Monday.
“Terrorist threats are real, but two wrongs don’t make a right,” Kim said. “You can’t oppose [terrorism] through an action that is equally despicable.”
UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman released a statement Saturday saying: “UCI has 154 students and scholars from these countries. ... I want to express my deep concern for our students, scholars and others who will be personally affected by this order. I agree with the statement today by the Association of American Universities that the order ‘is already causing damage and should end as quickly as possible.’”
Before the demonstration ended Monday, UCI graduate Ossama Kamel, a former Muslim Student Union member, led a call to prayer.
More than a dozen people took off their shoes as they kneeled and bowed their heads to pray.
Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
