THE PITT NEWS
JANUARY 30, 2017 VOLUME 107, ISSUE 111
NO BAN, NO WALL, NO SILENCE IN PITTSBURGH
Protests and rallies broke out in Pittsburgh over the weekend following President Trump’s executive orders to restrict immigration into the United States | by Stephen Caruso, Zoe Pawliczek and Aswhini Sivaganesh | Photograph by Stephen Caruso No one was detained at the Pittsburgh International Airport Sunday, but the crowd showed up anyway. In solidarity with similar protests across the country, including those at Washington Dulles International and John F. Kennedy International airports, about 150 people gathered in the airport’s terminal to decry President Donald Trump’s wide-sweeping antiimmigration order. The president issued an executive order Friday suspending immigration to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely.
In response, from Oakland to Moon Township and across the country, people once again hefted their protest signs and bundled up to speak out against the “Muslim ban.” The name comes from the president himself, whose bid for office focused on swiftly restricting access to the United States to prevent terrorist attacks. In a decidedly Pittsburgh twist, some refrains of “no hate, no fear, yinz are welcome here” — mingled with choruses of “this is what democracy looks like” — rang through the arrivals gate at the rally Sunday afternoon. As travelers streamed past, many took out cellphones to record. Some voiced support for the protests, while others shouted “Trump!” at the noisy group.
Throughout his campaign, Trump made U.S. immigration policy reform a top priority and said he would consider religious affiliations when evaluating new immigrants. In 2015, after the San Bernardino shootings, Trump, then one of many Republicans running for the party’s nomination, promised a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” But the president was adamant this weekend that religion wasn’t a motivating factor. “This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe,” the president said in a statement. His backtracking wasn’t enough to quell the ensuing chaos. See No Silence on page 2