by Barbara Nevins Taylor

We can feel it. The Statue of Liberty, America’s beacon of hope and promise to the world, sheds a tear. President Donald Trump closed the doors to immigrants for the next 120 days and barred Syrian refugees indefinitely. He also barred entry for citizens of seven predominately Muslim countries: Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Syria.

This is not the America we know and love. This is not the country that welcomed my grandparents from Eastern Europe, my husband’s dad from Great Britain and our friends from all around the globe.

We apologize to you for what we hope is a temporary blip in national policy and we know that we are not alone.

Immediately after Trump issued his executive order, reports came in about travelers detained at airports across the U.S. This reckless act also serves to block green card holders who have worked in the United States and are traveling abroad.

Bloomberg News reported that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, said that the order will affect more than 100 of its employees. Google C.E.O. Sundar Pichai asked employees with work visas who were traveling overseas to come home immediately.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released the following statement: “I never thought I’d see the day when refugees, who have fled war-torn countries in search of a better life, would be turned away at our doorstep.

“We are a nation of bridges, not walls, and a great many of us still believe in the words ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…’ This is not who we are, and not who we should be.

“I have directed the Port Authority, the Department of State, and my Counsel’s Office to jointly explore all legal options to assist anyone detained at New York airports, and ensure that their rights are protected. “America is a nation of laws and those laws provide rights that must be respected and followed regardless of political ideology.”