Refugees Worried About President Trump's Immigration Crackdown
BOSTON (CBS) - Ahmed Abdi arrived in the United States from Somalia just five days ago with refugee status, just before President Trump's executive orders cracking down on immigration.
"I got the opportunity to come here, now I'm here and I'm so happy to be here," Abdi said.
Zaenab Abdo, 21, fled her bombed-out home in Syria, arriving in the U.S. seven months ago, and now worries about family left behind if Trump moves further ahead to bar all Syrian immigrants.
"She feels good for her family," she says through an interpreter. "At the same time she feels bad for the rest of the family and relatives staying back there. They don't have a chance to go somewhere."
Trump's sweeping crackdown and efforts to build a wall on the southern border brought protesters to Boston's Downtown Crossing saying he's instilling fear and hate. "It completely ignores the reality of a country that is comprised of many different communities from all over the world," said protester Elena Letona.
The protest by a union representing service workers is made up of a large immigrant population, like Alejandro Galeano, originally from Columbia. "I feel like it's something personal between him and us. By 'us' I mean as a Latino and an immigrant," he said.
Ahmed Abdo worries he won't be reunited with his wife and mother, while Biar Kon from Sudan calls Trump's orders anti-American. "As a president he should be in a position to help everyone including outsiders," Kion said.