'Diversity is our strength': Justin Trudeau says refugees are welcome in Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a jab at President Donald Trump's executive order on refugees Saturday, tweeting that Canada will welcome all those fleeing war and terror, regardless of their faith.
"Diversity is our strength," he wrote, following up by posting photo of himself greeting a young Syrian refugee.
Trump's order was signed Friday afternoon, and halted refugee arrivals into the United States for 120 days and barred citizens of Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen for 90 days.
The action resulted in chaos at airports across the country on Saturday, as refugees and immigrants were detained by border agents and lawyers and lawmakers rushed to try and free them.
Trump's executive order is expected to affect many Canadian citizens considering travel to the US, 35,000 of whom share dual citizenship with the seven Muslim-majority countries included in Trump's executive order, according to data from Statistics Canada.
Canadian Minister of Transport Marc Garneau tweeted that the government is in contact with the American transportation department and Department of Homeland Security to "get more clarity on the impacts of the restrictions on travels."
Canada has been been vocal about its acceptance of refugees over the last two years, taking in more than 39,000 refugees from Syria alone, since unrolling its resettlement plan in November 2015.
The Trudeau government has even faced criticism over the refugee program from Canadians frustrated with the slow, bureaucratic process of bringing privately sponsored Syrian refugees into the country.