UPDATE: Our original story was about four-time gold-medal winner Mo Farah — a British citizen born in Somalia — being unsure if he could return to his family in the United States due to Donald Trump’s immigration policy. But reports surfaced late on Sunday night that Farah will indeed be okay to return to the United States (via ESPN):
Following conversations between British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and the U.S. government, Britain’s Foreign Office said later Sunday that Trump’s executive order applies only to individuals traveling from one of the seven named countries, regardless of nationality or place of birth. That suggested Farah would be OK to return to the United States.
“Mo is relieved that he will be able to return to his family once his current training camp concludes,” said a spokesperson for Farah. “However, as he said in his earlier statement, he still fundamentally disagrees with this incredibly divisive and discriminatory policy.”
That’s certainly terrific news for Farah and his family.
Original Story: The current immigration ban has many around the world left unsure what their current status is as an immigrant in the United States. Mo Farah, a four-time Olympic gold-medal winner for Great Britain, isn’t sure whether or not he’ll be able to return to his home in Oregon.
Farah is a citizen of Great Britain, but was born in Somalia. He does not have a passport from Somalia and is not considered a dual national. His representation is trying to figure out where this leaves Farrah, who seems to be in some sort of limbo.
Farah ended up speaking out on Facebook, voicing his displeasure for the ban:
“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.”
Farah’s family is currently in Oregon, where he has resided for the past six years. He trains around the globe, but has most recently trained in Ethiopia.
The freedom once given to Farah must have been a godsend for someone needing to travel constantly, and needing a place for his family to live in peace. Now, his life has been flipped upside down. It’s a horrible situation for the Olympian and one that hopefully gets worked out for the better, sooner rather than later.
