With signs declaring that "y'all means all" and cries of "no hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here," hundreds of protesters took to the Statehouse on Tuesday to show their disapproval of a controversial, nationwide immigration ban.
First-year music education students Victoria Shockley and Michaela Sciacca were among the crowd. Both were first time protesters, but they both felt strongly enough about the ban to come out to the demonstration.
"I think a lot of people think they feel voiceless ..." Shockley said, "and so this is a way to be a part of [the process]."
"I've never really taken a stand for anything that I've had an opinion on, and this was something new ... and now that I'm here, I definitely realize the big effect that it has," added Sciacca. "Just showing up, it does make a difference."
The protest was organized by South Carolina Welcomes Refugees and the Refugee Task Force of the Carolina Peace Resource Center. It featured speakers from groups including the ACLU, Black Lives Matter and USC's international student population. A Facebook event created by organizers called the event “an emergency demonstration” in response to a recent executive action limiting immigration by the Trump administration.
In his first week in office, President Donald Trump cut off travel from seven Muslim countries for 90 days as well as refugee admittance. Government officials began detaining certain travelers attempting to re-enter the U.S. on Saturday, leading to major protests at airports across the country.
One traveler not allowed back in the country was Nazanin Zinouri, a Clemson University graduate and Greenville resident. Zinouri was born in Tehran, Iran, but has a visa to live and work in the U.S. She was barred from a flight back to the U.S. after going overseas to visit family. Members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation say they are working to resolve the issue.
Situations like Zinouri's have caused USC’s International Student Services to reach out to the 198 students from affected countries currently studying in Columbia. ISS director Jody Pritt issued a letter on Monday detailing aspects of the ban and announcing meetings throughout the week and office hours for concerned students. International students also received an e-mail from administration advising them “to not leave the country in the short term in case the executive order creates issues with re-entry.”
USC spokesperson Jeff Stensland echoed similar sentiments in a statement.
“We’re working closely with national and international organizations to make sure our understanding of this rapidly unfolding situation is as accurate as can be,” he wrote. “We will be holding information sessions for students [this] week to answer questions and provide guidance along with up-to-date information.”
Solidarity with international students was part of what drove second-year nursing student Brianna Crawford to attend the protest.
"This is just something I can rally behind," she said, "because we wouldn't be a nation without causes like this and without support of the people like this."
The support from administration and protesters has provided some measure of comfort to students impacted by the ban, like third-year graduate student Morteza Maleki. Maleki's family is still in Iran, so he has no idea when he'll be able to see them again.
"I'm so impressed and I appreciate their support and help," he said. "Iranians came out tonight, but [the protesters] are mostly Americans. They could have stayed at home and been with their family. But they're here for supporting us, and I'm so proud of them."