More than 1,000 protesters gathered at Terminal 2 of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders temporarily banning incoming refugees and immigrants from various Middle Eastern countries.
“It’s people that are just trying to survive,” said Yasmine Inaya, a senior studying sustainable materials and technology. “They are just trying to become functioning members of society. It breaks my heart to see how much hate there is. This is not what America is about, we’re about diversity. It brought tears to my eyes as I was coming in just seeing the crowd.”
On Friday, Trump issued executive orders that suspend all incoming refugees for 120 days, as well as barring entry to people coming from seven countries — Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen — for 90 days. Refugees from Syria are barred indefinitely. On Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that this ban will not affect green card holders.
“A lot of people like that [refugees and immigrants] don’t really have a voice in America,” said Nicholas Hanne, a graduate student studying biomedical engineering. “If you’re not a citizen, then you’re not treated seriously. Vetting is already difficult enough as it is.”
Sentiments of care and concern toward refugees and immigrants in North Carolina were expressed by protesters.
“North Carolina, and America in general, has a history of not welcoming most people,” said Davia Young, a senior at Guilford College. “I just felt like one small thing I could do is come to this airport and put my voice with others’ here today. It’s important to remember that Trump’s executive order does not reflect the majority of Americans. This is one small way to show that.”
The “RDU Airport Protest: Refugee and Immigrant Ban,” which started as a Facebook event by Amanda Weissman, Grant Frisbee and Mila Ives-Rublee, was created to stand in solidarity with similar protests that had taken place in New York and Los Angeles the previous day.
“I’ve seen a lot of friends going to other events around the country and they actually brought about change, so I thought it would be a good time to do it in solidarity with the other events,” Ives-Rublee said. “I myself am an immigrant from South Korea, so it does hit home. I want them (immigrants and refugees) to know that people are here to support them 100 percent, and we are going to do as much as we can to ensure their safety. This is why I marched in Washington and protested at RDU. We are a nation of immigrants and I don’t think that we should be handpicking certain minorities groups, that’s just plain racism. How can other people put their biases before others that have been marginalized? They’re just as American as everyone else.”
RDU released a statement on Sunday morning regarding the protest, stating that the airport had granted a permit for the event and created a designated parking area for protesters to “ensure a peaceful demonstration.”
Doha Hindi, a senior studying science, technology and society, expressed her gratitude for those that who come out to protest.
“It means a lot for people to be coming together to fight on these issues that not only reflect badly on our country but they affect real people that are trying to escape bad situations,” Hindi said.
Many of the protesters noted the religious bias in Trump’s executive orders.
“I don’t think it’s fair that just because we have a new president that doesn’t necessarily like who people like me are [Muslims], they can just change the system and make it fit their own beliefs,” Miriam Zouhari, a senior at Meredith College. “It’s necessary to show that we aren’t OK with this and that we will fight you every step of the way.”
Other protesters seemed to share the sentiment that putting America first at the expense of other countries is uncalled for.
“They’re humans,” said Elizabeth Nadler, a Duke University alumna. “I think that concept of America first is bulls—. I think it should be humanity first and those in need first. What’s happening in the news is really scary, and to me it’s a human rights violation. If you’re not standing up now, when do you ever stand up?”
Several signs from protesters read “We’re All Immigrants,” and Nadler agreed. “People have been saying it over and over again but we are a nation of immigrants, and I think that any of us would want the same treatment if we were in those shoes,” she said.
Due to “safety and impact to airport operations,” RDU eventually terminated the event shortly after 3 p.m., stating that the permit was intended for a crowd of 150 people, while more than 1,000 protesters were at the airport. The Raleigh Police Department arrived to the scene shortly after to usher protesters back toward the parking deck, despite the crowd’s reluctance to leave.
“RDU seemed on board to a certain point, but they didn’t really anticipate the numbers,” Ives-Rublee said. “I can understand why they decided to cut it short, but our protest was very safe. People were expressing themselves in a pretty safe manner.”
Chancellor Randy Woodson released a statement about the executive order late Sunday afternoon.
“At NC State, across the UNC System and throughout the United States, our international students, faculty and staff are critically important and extremely valuable members of our higher education communities,” Woodson said. “Our universities are daily enriched and strengthened by the talent, insight and culture that international students, faculty and staff bring to our campuses.”
Participants expressed the need for unity within events like these.
“Having a lot of people protest, being vocal, definitely makes a big difference,” said Ahmed Samara, a graduate student studying computer engineering. “It’s not us [Muslims] against them, we’re all one group, we are the American people.”
