The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, joined a number of other groups on Monday outside the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. You can watch video of the protests on our Facebook page.
Federal immigration law gives the president broad authority to bar foreign travelers from entering the United States. The Trump administration’s new policy temporarily suspends the U.S. refugee program and blocks new visas to citizens of six majority Muslim countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. To resurrect the administration’s policy in full, the Justice Department would have to win in Richmond and in its upcoming appeal of the Hawaii ruling at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit — or eventually persuade the Supreme Court to intervene.
Virginia is one of 16 states and the District of Columbia opposed to the Trump order. The Virginia Interfaith Center supports the Commonwealth of Virginia, home of the tenant of freedom of religion in the United States, as a place that welcomes all people. “All are welcome here,” Lana Heath de Martinez, Welcoming All coordinator for VICPP, told the crowd. “We demand a Virginia where all of our residents are safe and free. Safe to travel with our families, safe from discrimination and hateful intimidation. Free to pursue our dreams, free to fully participate in society. …. We will not stop until our vision for a welcoming Virginia comes to fruition.”