ICA Condemns Latest Hate Crime on Indo-Caribbean Employee at JFK and Stands in Opposition to President Trump’s Executive Orders on Immigration and Muslims

JFK Airport Terminal 4: Photo Credit: Ian Harnarine

As an organization that represents one of the largest immigrant groups in New York City, including thousands of Muslim Americans, we are appalled and deeply affected by the recent executive orders put in place by President Donald Trump.  Indo-Caribbean Alliance, Inc. (ICA) condemns President Trump's actions and rhetoric against our immigrant communities and all Americans. These orders promote a divisive and intolerant society in a country that has thrived on the acceptance of all immigrants and served as a safe haven for those fleeing religious and racial persecution.
 
These executive orders, among others signed last week, have serious legal ramifications that inspire hate against immigrant communities.  Most recently, on January 28th, 2017, a female Muslim Guyanese employee at JFK International Airport, Rabeeya Khan, was both physically and verbally assaulted.  Khan was wearing a hijab, or headscarf, when she was allegedly kicked by the assailant who proceeded to intimidate her by blocking her from escaping.  The attacker allegedly went on to imitate the prayer stance of Muslims by kneeling and bowing his head repeatedly.  Witnesses also claimed that the attacker yelled “Trump is here now.  He will get rid of all of you” during the attack. This is the latest in a series of hate crimes against Indo-Caribbean Americans. We call on everyone to condemn actions that inspire hate and fear in our community and threaten our safety.
 
ICA mobilized our community and resisted President Trump’s actions by participating in a demonstration against the executive order on Saturday, January 28th, 2017 at JFK International Airport.   Please actively call your local and state Congress Members and ask them to oppose President Trump’s orders and actions and fight for the rights of every person in our community regardless of race, religion, or gender. There is a lot of work to be done as we stand against the President’s anti-immigration and anti-Muslim agenda.
 
ICA vows to remain steadfast in our opposition to these divisive policies that only promote hatred, racism, and fear.  We will continue to fight with our allies across New York and the country for the rights of our immigrant communities.
 
On Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 7PM at the ICA office (131-12 Liberty Ave., cellar level) we continue to mobilize our community and protect ourselves from President Trump’s Anti-Muslim and Anti-Immigrant agenda.  We will be hosting an emergency discussion  with community partners, stakeholders, elected officials, and lawyers who will discuss the implications of these orders.  It will be a safe space to discuss fears and concerns and ask questions: ​

​Emergency Meeting: President Trump's Anti-Immigration Exec Order
 
Background:

On January 27, 2017, the President Donald Trump enacted the Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States executive order.  This order calls for the following:

• Banned entry into the United States for all natives of seven Muslim majority countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) for 90 days, including those with a valid visa.  The order also calls for reviews of additional countries not initially placed on the list of banned countries to determine whether they should be included.
• Suspension of refugee admissions into the United States for 120 days; Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely.
• The order initially appeared to impact permanent residents (green card holders) traveling in and out of the United States; however, recent reports from the White House on Sunday indicate that green card holders will not be barred from entering the country.
• While these orders are temporary, the President may extend them upon their respective expiration dates.

---

DONATE