This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Trudeau To Refugees: 'Canadians Will Welcome You'

Trudeau To Refugees: 'Canadians Will Welcome You'
Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, listens during a news conference following a town hall event in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. Trudeau confirmed that his senior advisers have met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's officials. Photographer: Cole Burston/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, listens during a news conference following a town hall event in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. Trudeau confirmed that his senior advisers have met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's officials. Photographer: Cole Burston/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reaffirmed Canada's commitment to welcoming refugees amid U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

"To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith," Trudeau wrote on Twitter on Saturday. "Diversity is our strength."

Canada resettled about 39,000 refugees from Syria between December 2015 and December 2016.

President Trump signed an executive order on Friday to bar entry to the U.S. to anyone from seven Muslim-majority countries: Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan. The order indefinitely bans Syrian refugees from resettling in the U.S. and shuts down the country's entire refugee program for 120 days.

Refugees and immigrants were turned away or detained on Friday night, as American airports scrambled to adjust to the new policy.

Late on Saturday a federal judge reversed parts of Trump's order and allowed those that were being detained to enter the country.

“I am establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America," Trump said. "We don’t want them here.”

Not a single American has been killed by a terrorist from those countries since 1975.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.