In the chaos following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban refugees and immigrants, a five-year-old boy was detained for hours at Washington Dulles International Airport.
On Saturday, the boy, who is a U.S. citizen from Maryland, was travelling from Iran to Washington, D.C. with a family member to meet his mother, who is Iranian, WILX 10 reports. Unfortunately, the five-year-old was held in custody by airport authorities for several hours before he was finally reunited with her.
In the emotional reunion, the mom and other relatives are seen giving the boy hugs and kisses. The mother is also heard singing “Happy Birthday” to him.
Trump’s executive order temporarily bans immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Syria. As a result, a number of immigrants and refugees were detained at airports over the weekend following the order’s signing on Friday. However, the five-year-old’s detainment, in particular, struck a nerve with the public.
On Facebook, U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland revealed that he had given airport authorities “advance notice” that the boy would be arriving, yet the child was still detained.
“Shame on you, Donald Trump,” Van Hollen wrote in his impassioned post. “And thank goodness for the federal judge who upheld the rule of law and temporarily blocked the implementation of Trump’s removal order. We must remain vigilant and fight back.”
Many agreed with Van Hollen's stance and shared their outrage on Twitter.
Hi Trump supporters. Here's your big, scary terrorist. A 5 year old boy, detained for hours, desperately waiting for his Mom.
— Enid-Raye Adams (@enidrayeadams) January 29, 2017
Shame on you. https://t.co/o7TXB9yOLB
Despicable that a 5 YEAR OLD was detained for HOURS away from his mother. America, we are better than this. https://t.co/6GxLJs9YL5
— Leela Daou (@leeladaou) January 29, 2017
This is nothing short of horrific. A 5-year-old child. Detained. https://t.co/Ahs8Z3RrB0
— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) January 29, 2017
We’re a country that welcomes immigrants and refugees, not terrorizes them. #nomuslimban https://t.co/R2I1QqHSXZ
— Jill Smokler (@smoklerjill) January 29, 2017
In addition to this, protests were held at Dulles Airport, as well as at airports nationwide over the weekend.
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