© 2024 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Refugee, SU student speaks out against Trump's new travel ban

Tom Magnarelli
/
WRVO News File Photo
Khadijo Abdulkadir and Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.

Public debate continues in Syracuse about President Donald Trump's policies, including his newly ordered travel ban. The executive action temporary suspends the visa process for six majority-Muslim nations and refugees.

Khadijo Abdulkadir, 23, was born in a refugee camp in Kenya. She came to the U.S. in 2009 and is a student at Syracuse University. Abdulkadir is Somalian, which is one of the banned countries. She spoke to a crowd of demonstrators in Syracuse sharing her story, and saying how Trump’s ban personally affects her. She said she does not know if more of her family members will be able to come to the U.S.

“What they don’t understand is people are losing their lives," Abdulkadir said. "If somebody is bleeding and I said let’s wait for the next day, are you expecting that person to survive? Kids are dying that could have been saved if they were able to travel to the U.S. How can you watch somebody die because of hunger? It doesn’t make sense to me. I wish I can do something about it. I, as an individual, may not be able to do it. At least organizing the community, working with the people, having the voice out there will make something possible. That’s my hope.”

The protest was another one organized by Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner who said there are real victims to Trump’s actions in the city. Trump’s new travel ban was scaled back from one he ordered in January, which was blocked by federal judges. 

Tom Magnarelli is a reporter covering the central New York and Syracuse area. He joined WRVO as a freelance reporter in 2012 while a student at Syracuse University and was hired full time in 2015. He has reported extensively on politics, education, arts and culture and other issues around central New York.