Oscar nominees protest Trump’s travel ban by wearing blue ribbons

A number of Oscar-nominees have thrown their support behind the organisation who first challenged President Donald Trump`s travel ban by wearing blue ribbons to the ceremony.

Irish-Ethiopian star Ruth Negga, who is up for best actress for her role in Loving, was first on the red carpet and sported the political accessory on her red Valentino dress.

The blue bow represents the American Civil Liberties Union and is part of their new initiative titled Stand With ACLU.

In an awkward moment during E!`s Live From the Red Carpet, Kris Jenner, the Kardashian matron, appeared to be completely oblivious to the situation, "What the little blue thing she has there, is that a ribbon?" while discussing Negga`s red carpet look.

Negga was followed by the Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and his mother who both wore the pin. Miranda is nominated for writing music and lyrics for How Far I`ll Go from animated movie Moana.

Director of best film nominee Moonlight, Barry Jenkins, was also spotted with the blue bow pinned to his suit.

The ACLU was among the first to launch a legal challenge following President Trump`s travel ban, which bars people from seven Muslim-majority countries entering America.

While the travel ban has been blocked by the courts, a revamped refugee and immigration executive order is expected to be released by the White House next week.

At a glance-Donald Trump’s immigration ban
On Friday 27 January, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily blocking travel for immigrants from seven “terror prone” Muslim-majority countries.

The order imposed a 90-day ban on travellers from:
•    Syria
•    Iran
•    Sudan
•    Libya
•    Somalia
•    Yemen
•    Iraq

Additionally, it suspended the US refugee programme for 120 days and indefinitely halts acceptance of refugees from Syria.

The ban did not apply to certain visa types, nor to religious minorities fleeing religious persecution from those countries – for example, Christians.

Syria is the only one of these countries specifically named in Mr Trump’s order. The others derive from a 2015 Obama-era statute listing “countries of concern” for terrorism to be excluded from the US’s Visa Waiver Program.

Travel ban appeal
On 3 February 2017, US District Judge James Robart upheld cases brought by two states - Washington and Minnesota - and granted an order effectively suspending Trump`s travel ban. Later that week, appeal court judges refused to reinstate Trump`s executive order.

Source: The telegraph