Mo Farah, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and the best middle-distance runner in the world, released a statement early Sunday about President Donald Trump’s executive order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah: Trump’s order ‘has made me an alien’
The Somali-British runner lives in Portland and is unclear whether he can legally return to the United States.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Farah was born in Somalia, one of the countries whose citizens are now under restrictions. The Telegraph reports that Farah has been in Ethiopia training. If that is indeed the case, he may not be allowed to return to his wife and children in Portland.
Farah moved to Great Britain as a child and has lived in the United States for the past six years, training with Nike’s Oregon Project until 2015. He won gold in both the 5K and 10K in the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Games.
Early Sunday, he posted the following on Facebook:
Farah has four children he and his wife have raised in Portland. Because Farah is apparently a dual Somali-British citizen, under Trump’s executive order he would be at risk of being denied entry into the United States.
Hundreds of citizens of restricted countries, including legal permanent U.S. residents and legal visa holders, were denied entry to the United States beginning Friday. Some were in transit when Trump signed his executive order and were detained at U.S. airports. Some were denied boarding onto U.S.-bound planes overseas.
Protests broke out at several major U.S. airports on Saturday as immigrant advocates worked to get those detained released and to prevent deportations. Protests continued on Sunday at both airports and in major U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C. Vox.com has full coverage of the immigration order and its fallout.
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