‘It’s wrong on all levels’: Canadians affected by Trump’s travel ban speak out
VANCOUVER — The only reason Athba Samarai and her husband moved thousands of kilometres from their homes in Iraq, she says, was so their children could grow up happily and safely in Canada.
But this week, the 35-year-old financial manager found herself struggling to explain to her young kids why U.S. President Donald Trump wants to temporarily ban people born in Iraq from crossing the border.
“We lived through an era of oppression and we came all the way here to let our kids live in harmony and peace,” said Samarai. “We never thought that this could happen here.”
Samarai, who lives in Calgary, is among scores of Canadian permanent residents from the seven countries affected by Trump’s executive order who say their ability to travel to the U.S. is in limbo.