Angelina Jolie has spoken out against Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban, criticizing his restrictions as a response based on fear.
In an op-ed penned for the New York Times, the actor, director and UN ambassador expressed her anger at the recent decision to limit travellers from certain countries.
“Americans have shed blood to defend the idea that human rights transcend culture, geography, ethnicity and religion,” she wrote. “The decision to suspend the resettlement of refugees to the United States and deny entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries has been met with shock by our friends around the world precisely because of this record.”
Jolie is the mother of six children born in various countries and wrote about an added concern for their future.
“I very much want our country to be safe for them, and all our nation’s children,” she wrote. “But I also want to know that refugee children who qualify for asylum will always have a chance to plead their case to a compassionate America.”
While Jolie’s estranged father, Jon Voight, spoke for Trump at his poorly attended pre-inauguration concert, Jolie has made her stance on the president clear.
“The global refugee crisis and the threat from terrorism make it entirely justifiable that we consider how best to secure our borders,” she wrote. “Every government must balance the needs of its citizens with its international responsibilities. But our response must be measured and should be based on facts, not fear.”
The Oscar-winning actor is the latest star to speak out against Trump’s travel ban. At the Screen Actors Guild awards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus called the decision “un-American” while Seth Rogen tweeted that it would result in the persecution of “innocent refugees”.
