Despite threats of rain, 100 Jewish millennials gathered at near the White House fence opposite Lafayette Square with signs reading “My people were refugees too” as they told stories of how their families entered the United States.
The demonstration, organized by HIAS, the Jewish refugee aid agency, was in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for 90 days and suspending the admission of all refugees for 120 days. A court blocked the Muslim ban.
“This is a group of Jewish, young professionals who are getting together to tell the stories of the refugees and immigrants from their own families that came to this country,” said Sarah Beller, who works with HIAS and helped organize the demonstration.
“If the U.S. had not let them in, we would not be here today. So we feel that we can’t stand idly by as we see that fate happening to other people, and see today’s refugees being shut out of the U.S,” she said.
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