Sir Mo Farah fears he can no longer see family after Donald Trump immigration order

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This was published 7 years ago

Sir Mo Farah fears he can no longer see family after Donald Trump immigration order

By Ben Farmer
Updated

Sir Mo Farah has said he is deeply troubled by Donald Trump's immigration crackdown which he fears will separate him from his family in the US.

The four-time Olympic gold medal winner said: "On 1st January this year, Her Majesty The Queen made me a Knight of the Realm. On 27th January, President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien."

The long-distance runner said he feared having to tell his children "Daddy may not be able to come home" because of the temporary ban on citizens from seven countries entering the US.

The US ban of at least 90 days affects travellers with passports from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, including those with dual nationality that includes one of those countries. The executive order also suspended the entry of all refugees to the US for 120 days.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah of Great Britain may not be able to compete in the United States.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah of Great Britain may not be able to compete in the United States.Credit: Getty Images

Sir Mo, who was born in Somalia before moving to Britain at the age of eight, said he was being made to feel unwelcome in America, despite living in Portland, Oregon, to train.

He said: "I am a British citizen who has lived in America for the past six years - working hard, contributing to society, paying my taxes and bringing up our four children in the place they now call home. Now, me and many others like me are being told that we may not be welcome. It's deeply troubling that I will have to tell my children that Daddy might not be able to come home - to explain why the president has introduced a policy that comes from a place of ignorance and prejudice."

Sir Mo, who was knighted in the New Year Honours, does not hold a Somali passport, but sources close to the runner said it was still unclear he would be able to return home when he finishes a training visit to Ethiopia.

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The impact could also extend to a number of high-profile athletes who hold dual citizenship with the countries on Trump's banned list.

US President Donald Trump's executive order has sparked widespread panic.

US President Donald Trump's executive order has sparked widespread panic. Credit: Bloomberg

Two NBA players, including Australian citizen Thon Maker and Luol Deng, were born in Sudan, one of the seven countries listed in Trump's executive order.

The NBA has thrown its support behind players who may be adversely affected by the order, saying in a statement that it had reached out to the government for more information.

Thon Maker was born in the Sudan, one of the seven countries listed under Trump's executive order.

Thon Maker was born in the Sudan, one of the seven countries listed under Trump's executive order. Credit: AP

"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," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.

"The NBA is a global league and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world."

On 1st January this year, Her Majesty The Queen made me a Knight of the Realm. On 27th January, President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien.

Mo Farah

The 90 day-ban could put on hold any plans Maker may have to travel overseas, although his side, the Milwaukee Bucks, are not scheduled for a fixture against Toronto in Canada for the rest of the regular season.

The 19-year-old will be free to travel soon after the NBA regular season's end, with the ban set to finish at the end of April.

Nadhim Zahawi, the Iraqi-born British MP, said he had been advised he was banned, even though he is not a dual national. The ban means he will be unable to visit his twin sons, Ahmad and Jaafar, who are studying at Princeton University.

He told The Telegraph, London: "If you had told me we would be like this in 2017, I would not have believed you. It's so depressing, it really is."

Mr Zahawi said he was considering advising his sons not to return home to the UK for a holiday this week, in case they had difficulty re-entering America. He said: "It's unbelievable, it's sad and it's demeaning. I don't think I have been discriminated against since little school."

On Saturday, sports officials struggled to understand the implications of Trump's executive order, including the question of whether athletes from the prohibited nations could enter the United States to compete, especially in the initial 90-day period of the ban.

"We are working closely with the administration to understand the new rules and how we best navigate them as it pertains to visiting athletes," Patrick Sandusky, a spokesman for the US Olympic Committee, said in an email. "We know they are supportive of the Olympic movement and our bid, and believe we will have a good working relationship with them to ensure our success in hosting and attending events."

At least one International Olympic Committee delegate criticised Trump's decision. The delegate, Richard Peterkin of St Lucia, wrote on Twitter that the executive order on immigration "is totally contrary to Olympic ideals."

"For him, collective responsibility trumps individual justice," Peterkin wrote.

The most immediate effect may come in wrestling, given that one of the nations affected by Trump's ban is Iran, which has long had a congenial relationship with the United States in that sport. Iran said on Saturday that it would stop US citizens from entering the country, in retaliation for Trump's order.

The US freestyle wrestling team is scheduled to participate in a World Cup competition in Iran on February 8. Steve Fraser, the chief fundraiser for USA Wrestling and a 1984 Greco-Roman Olympic champion, said on Saturday that the president of Iran's wrestling federation was scheduled to meet this weekend with government officials there in an attempt to make sure the Americans would still be invited to the meet.

"There's some nervousness by us that the Iranian government might say, 'We can't get visas to go there, so no Americans can come here, either,'" Fraser said.

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The ban on visitors from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen comes at a delicate time for the US Olympic Committee. Los Angeles is seeking to host the 2024 Summer Games, and it will learn in September whether it, Paris or Budapest will get the Games. (There is some speculation that the IOC will award the 2024 Games to Paris and the 2028 Games to Los Angeles, but the USOC remains committed to the 2024 Games.)

The New York Times and The Telegraph, London

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