Trudeau welcomes refugees after Trump's executive order issued

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has extended his country's welcome to refugees a day after US President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning people from seven countries from entering the United States.

"To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength," Trudeau tweeted on Saturday. He followed it up by tweeting a photo of himself greeting a young Syrian refugee.

Demonstrators gather at Washington Square Park to protest against US President Donald Trump in New York on January 25, 2017.

Trump on Friday signed an executive order that prohibits citizens of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Libya from entering the United States in the coming three months, and also bans refugees from Syria indefinitely. Trump said the order would help protect Americans from terrorist attacks.

Canada was caught up in the executive order because of Canadian citizens are holders of dual passports.

The Canadian government did not immediately offer any direct comment after the US State Department confirmed that dual citizens of the affected countries would not be allowed to enter the United States over the next several months.

Bijan Ahmadi, president of the Iranian Canadian Congress, said he is outraged by the new policy.

"It's unacceptable. It's very unreasonable," he said. "It's very discriminatory to target people based on their race, their religion, the country of their origin and the country of their birth. And the community has that same outrage."

Canada's WestJet Airlines said it turned back a passenger bound for the United States on Saturday in order to comply with Trump's executive order, adding that it will give full refunds to anyone affected by the move, Canadian media have reported.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media at the end of a two-day cabinet retreat in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on January 24, 2017. /CFP Photo

WestJet has been informed by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that the ban did not apply to dual citizens who had passports from countries other than those covered by the ban against the seven countries.

"US CBP has confirmed it is the citizenship document they present to enter the country, not the country of where they were born," Canada TV quoted a spokesperson of WestJet as saying.

Air Canada, the country's other major airline, said it was complying with the order but did not comment on whether it had yet denied travel to any passengers.

(Source: Xinhua)

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