Olympic champ fears he may not be able to return to kids in U.S.
LONDON -- Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah says U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy “seems to have made me an alien” and fears he may not be able to return to his U.S. home.
Farah is a British citizen who was born in Somalia, one of seven predominantly Muslim nations subject to the executive order signed by Trump that temporarily bans entry to the United States.
Farah currently is training in Ethiopia. His family is based in Portland, Oregon.
The 33-year-old says on his Facebook page that “it’s deeply troubling” he will have to tell his children that he might not be able to come home.
Farah’s agent told The Associated Press that they were trying to clarify the situation with U.S. authorities.
Farah is not the only athlete to give a poignant response to Mr. Trump’s travel ban. Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is Muslim, got emotional pregame while talking about Mr. Trump’s executive order.
“You can’t judge a whole group by one’s actions at the end of the day,” Hollis-Jefferson said, according to the New York Post. “And I feel like that’s not right. That’s definitely not right. You can’t speak for all Muslims, because all Muslims’ hearts aren’t like that. Most of them are pure, really believe in a different way and a different livelihood.”
Mr. Trump said it is “not a Muslim ban,” but the order was protested at airports around the country and a federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to Trump’s ban.
Meanwhile, ESPN reports that the Milwaukee Bucs are concerned about the status of player Thon Maker, who has Australian citizenship but was born in Somalia.
On Saturday, Bucks senior vice president Alexander Lasry, took to Twitter to support Maker.
“I appreciate all the fans’ concerns and prayers for Thon. And today, a Sudanese refugee who fled oppression and is an incredible young man will make his second NBA start,” Lasry wrote. “I’m incredibly excited and proud of him. He’s a symbol of what makes America great and all immigrants believe about America.”
In a statement to CBS News, NBA spokesman Michael Bass said: “We have reached out to the State Department and are in the process of gathering information to understand how this executive order would apply to players in our league who are from one of the impacted countries. The NBA is a global league and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world.”
