8 THE COURIER SUN • FEBRUARY 2, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com FIGHT OVER FLIGHTS Queens reps look to stop Trump order BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com @AngelaMatua Two elected officials from Queens have introduced legislation designed to make it harder for President Donald Trump to enforce his executive order banning travelers from seven predominately Muslim countries would be banned from entering the United States for at least 90 days. State Senator Michael Gianaris said his legislation would prohibit the Port Authority, which administers New York’s airports, from utilizing any of its resources to enforce the order. Those resources include supporting personnel, the use of airport facilities under its control, which include six in New York and New Jersey, or the use of electricity and climate control in areas of the airport being used for the detentions. “President Trump’s executive order is as un-American as it gets and it falls upon each of us to take any measures at our disposal to resist by any legal means,” said Gianaris, whose parents came to the U.S. from Greece. “The state of New York should not spend one penny in support of this unconstitutional federal effort and I will fight to make sure we don’t.” State Senator James Sanders said he would co-sponsor Gianaris’ legislation and added that the country needs to take a “unified stand” against the ban, which he thinks will be deemed unconstitutional. Congresswoman Grace Meng announced that she will introduce the No Funds for Unconstitutional Executive Orders Act, which would prohibit any funds made available by Congress from being used to enforce the president’s refugee ban. A federal judge in New York on Saturday granted an emergency stay, which temporarily halted the deportation of those detained at airports due to the executive order, but the stay is temporary. “The decision by a federal judge to temporarily block this unconstitutional and un-American executive order was a great victory,” Meng said. “But we must make sure that it is overturned for good, and this legislation would make that happen.” Meng sent a letter to her colleagues in the House to ask for their support in implementing the act and cited the Bill of Rights, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” as the reason for the act. She also cited the Supreme Court ruling in Larson v. Valente, where the court stated that “the clearest command of the Establishment Clause is that one religious denomination cannot be officially preferred over another.” ‘REFUGEES ARE WELCOME HERE!’ Thousands flock to JFK to decry Trump immigration order Photos by Dean Moses BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@qns.com @robbpoz Protesters jammed the parking garage and walkways outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday after a dozen individuals arriving in the U.S. were detained as a result of an immigration ban ordered by President Donald Trump on Friday. Make the Road New York, which is located in Jackson Heights, began protesting outside the International Arrivals terminal to protest Trump’s executive order that prohibits residents of Iraq and a select number of other Middle Eastern nations from entering the United States for at least 90 days. The crowd grew throughout the day, chanting loudly and holding up signs demanding that foreign refugees be permitted entry into the U.S. As a result of Trump’s ban, two Iraqi men who arrived at JFK on Friday night, Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkaleq Alshawi, were among at least 12 people detained and prohibited from leaving the terminal. According to CNN, both men have worked previously for the U.S. government during and/or following the Iraq War and were granted visas to enter the country. Darweesh and Alshawi subsequently filed legal challenges to Trump’s executive action. CNN reported that the two men claim to have been denied access to a lawyer, and were told by law enforcement agents to contact Trump about their situation. On Saturday night, a federal judge — in legal action filed by the American Civil Liberties Union — ruled that customs agents could not send any detainees at American airports back to their home countries, reported The New York Times. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and Congressman Jerrold Nadler visited Terminal 4 earlier on Saturday and met with members of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Shortly thereafter, Darweesh was released from CBP custody; Alshawi was released Sunday following 30 hours in custody. In a statement released by Make the Road New York, Velazquez compared the situation to the story of the MS St. Louis, a German ship with hundreds of Jewish refugees seeking to escape Nazi Germany that arrived on American shores in 1939. The U.S. government denied the refugees entry, and the ship was returned to Europe; most of the refugees on board later died in Nazi concentration camps. “What is happening at JFK International Airport right now is an affront to American values,” Velazquez said. “I will not and cannot stand idly by as the Trump administration begins repeating such unconscionable acts.” Attorneys are at the terminal providing assistance to any individual banned from entering the U.S. under Trump’s executive order. Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that he has directed the Port Authority, the New York Department of State and his Counsel’s office “explore all legal options to assist anyone detained at New York airports, and ensure that their rights are protected.” “America is a nation of laws and those laws provide rights that must be respected and followed regardless of political ideology,” Cuomo said. Javier Valdés, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, condemned Trump’s executive order, noting that Darweesh, Alshawi and other refugees are simply in search of a better life in the United States and deserve the opportunity to enter the country. “Just like so many of our own families, they and their families have come to this country fleeing violence and threats to their lives,” Valdés said. “They seek a better life. It is part of this nation’s core principles to welcome them. It is disgraceful that President Trump’s new policy has separated them from their children. He must reverse course immediately and let them go.” The turnout for the protest was so large that it apparently prompted the Port Authority to suspend AirTrain service at JFK; however, Cuomo directed the Port Authority to restore service so protesters could get to and from the airport.
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