Four-time Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah says he is worried Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration may mean he is not able to return to his home in the US, where he has lived for the past six years.
In a statement published to his Facebook, the British Olympic hero, who is currently training in Ethiopia and lives in Oregon, said he was faced with the prospect of telling his 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."
My response to Trump - thanks for all the support guys https://t.co/RUqwoTahZq
Farah's statement in full:
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.
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.I was welcomed into Britain from Somalia at eight years old and given the chance to succeed and realise my dreams.
I have been proud to represent my country, win medals for the British people and receive the greatest honour of a knighthood. My story is an example of what can happen when you follow polices of compassion and understanding, not hate and isolation.
Trump's executive order has suspended visas being issued for people from Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Iran, Yemen and Libya, for 90 days.
It is currently unclear whether Farah, who was born in Somalia, would be prevented from travelling to the US, with the status of dual-nationals also uncertain. Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi, who was born in Iraq, says he believes the ban extends to him as well.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was working with the US State Department to provide clarity on the issue.
The Anti-Tribalism Movement, a British-Somali non-profit organisation based in the UK, has condemned the executive order. A spokesperson said: "We have staff members who are British citizens but Somali origin and we do not know if they will ever be allowed to travel to the USA after Trump's executive order banning people from Somalia. We call upon and urge the Trump administration to not put lives in danger but help bring people together by tackling issues of world importance."