Hundreds rallied Sunday at the Indianapolis International Airport to support refugees and immigrants temporarily banned from entering the country.
Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Drew Daudelin reports, many who attended are anxious about what comes next.
Hanna Omar was born and raised in New York and lives in Columbus, Indiana. Her parents are from Yemen, one of seven countries whose citizens are temporarily banned from entering the U.S.
Omar was joined at the rally by family and friends, but one relative who couldn’t make it might be affected by the ban. As Omar explains, her relative is planning to bring his wife here from Yemen on February 1.
“We don’t know if he will be able to bring her here," Omar says. "They have a baby boy who is an American citizen. So now he’s in limbo.”
Many at the airport rally echo Omar’s concern for people affected by the ban, including speakers from the ACLU, local faith groups, the Democratic Party and a group that helps refugees resettle in Indiana.
Cole Varga is the Executive Director of Exodus Refugee Immigration, a group that helps settle refugees in Indiana.
"To shut the door, to slam the door, in fact, on refugees and other entrants is just completely un-American,” Varga says.
He says Exodus staff members have been calling settled refugees in the state, giving them the best advice they can offer.
“There’s still a lot of uncertainty here, in the next couple of weeks, with what this actually means.”
The Indianapolis Airport rally was one of several protests held in the state this weekend.
For Indiana Public Broadcasting, I’m Drew Daudelin.
