Sunday, January 29, 2017

Super Bowl host city voices its displeasure over President Trump's refugee ban

The international airport here was a study in contrasts on Sunday as fans flocking for Super Bowl LI were greeted by banners announcing the upcoming game as well as placards denouncing President Trump’s executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days. There were demonstrations downtown as well, right by the epicenter for Super Bowl fans in the week ahead.
“0 Days Without Being A National Embarrassment” read one airport sign held by Sarah Syed, a graduate student at the University of Houston.
 
“My city is open, it is welcoming, and it is secure,” she told Yahoo Sports. “That means we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can secure our nation, secure our city, have big events, and still respect the basis of the Constitution.”
Jackson Lee hopes this week will be an advertisement not only for Houston, but also for the nation’s ability to host refugees and keep people safe. Yet what she hopes will be parallel storylines might also clash, as the Trump order has dominated the news cycle and may spark more protests.
Shireen Jasser (Yahoo Sports)
“We love to sit and enjoy our American pastime,” said Shireen Jasser, president of the Houston chapter of the Syrian-American Council, “but things are changing very quickly for our people.”
For her and many others, priorities have shifted quickly in the two days since the order was signed. Trump mentioned the idea of a ban during his campaign in 2015, but the reality of it has scrambled many in a diverse city that has planned for the Super Bowl for years. Here and all over the nation, attention that would usually be paid to football might now be drowned in confusion and rancor.
“We have a lot of community members who are very worried,” Jasser said.
Only a few steps away, local lawyers gathered to offer free advice to families who might have loved ones affected by the executive order. They had been stationed there for many hours, sipping Starbucks, sharing pizza and huddled in conferences. Luis Ruiz, an immigration attorney, told Yahoo Sports he is assisting the family of a detainee who was being held at the airport.
“It is my civic duty and my responsibility as an attorney,” he said, “to come here and uphold the Constitution.”
Other lawyers drew signs offering “Legal Help” in multiple languages. One even had a copy of the Constitution in his shirt pocket.
Later on Sunday afternoon, Trump released a statement that read in part, “I have tremendous feeling for all the people involved in this horrific humanitarian crisis in Syria. My first priority will always be to protect and serve our country, but as President I will find ways to help all those who are suffering.”
But as long as the order stands, the anger will stand. That will make world events a topic on the streets of Houston and most likely in Minute Maid Park during Media Night on Monday.
“We are an international city,” Jackson Lee said. “We don’t want this interference.”
It might be too late for that.
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