Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish Joins Ohio Politicians Decrying Immigration Ban

CLEVELAND, OH - Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish joined a chorus of Ohio politicians that are lobbying for President Donald Trump to rescind his immigration ban on people from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. Budish issued a statement via the county's website.

The ban, which was signed on Friday and went into effect immediately, caught airport customs agencies unprepared and upended plans for many international travelers. The ban also inspired nationwide protests at airports.

The ban has also spurred several legislators, mostly Democratic, to come out and request a repeal of the ban. The list of Ohio politicians demanding the immigration ban be lifted include Sherrod Brown, Marcia Fudge, and Tim Ryan. Republican Senator Rob Portman and Governor John Kasich have also said the ban needs to be rethought.

Budish's statement was issued Jan. 30 via the Cuyahoga County website. You can see the full statement below.

“President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and Muslim immigrants from countries around the world is shameful and must be stopped. Many of the people his action is barring are women and children fleeing war and terror; others are young students who have worked for years to come to our universities; still others are doctors who serve in our local hospitals. The list goes on. This country was founded and built by immigrants and we are all strengthened by diversity. Let’s not allow fear to define who we are. Lady liberty is crying. I call upon President Trump to immediately lift this shameful ban and to work on stronger vetting of individuals coming into our country as appropriate.”

You can see some of the other responses from Ohio politicians below:

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch