San Diego International Airport once again became the gathering place for hundreds of protestors after President Donald Trump signed a second executive order to limit immigration from six predominantly Muslim nations.
Southwestern college students including ASO President Mona Dibas, ASO VP Nada Dibas and other student leaders were among those protesting “Muslim Ban 2.0.”
Executive Order 13780 is titled the same as the previous order, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” and is effective March 16. It is almost identical to the first Muslim ban though it removed Iraq from the list of restricted countries. Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen remain.
Spirited protestors of all ages and races gathered on the street in front of Terminal Two to chant and hold signs.
Ammar Albakri, a seven-year-old protester accompanied by his parents, said the protest was “a fun way for people to see what he (Trump) is doing is wrong and hurts many people.”
Many other protesters did not see the protest as a fun method to protest but rather necessary. A protestor held a sign that read, “White male and privileged. If I’m here then it must be bad,” to show his dislike for the way immigrants and refugees are being treated.
The protest was organized by Mohamed M. Elnakib, a member of San Diego Indivisible Downtown, who said he believes the new executive order to be “just as repulsive and unconstitutional as the first one.”
While police were present, at the event was peaceful and free of incident. Protestors marched around a closed off sector of Terminal Two for more than three hours. Chanting, waving signs and cheering as people in cars honked to show support.
Islam was the largest growing religious group between the years of 2000-2010 in San Diego County, According to the United States 2010 Census, 7.1 percent of the county population.
Protestors also sprung apart other California airports and throughout the nation. A ruling by the ninth district court of appeals suspended the ban, ruling it was unconstitutional. Mona Dibas and other SWC student leaders said they would monitor the situation and continue to speak out for the right of minorities in America.