'We Were Refugees Back in the 70s'

This interview is part of Broadly's Voices Against the Ban series. You can read more of these voices here.

Broadly: Why do you oppose Trump's immigration orders?

*Melissa, 34, and Toronto:* My family were all refugees—all 17 members of them resettled in Canada and the US. That was on the basis of the refugee private sponsorship program. So when all of this was happening over the weekend I was with my family, and the significance of being around all these former refugees was not lost on me. That's one personal, political, and historical reason why I'm really against this ban: because it affects all of us.

Do the recent travel restrictions affect you or your loved ones?

No, because we were refugees back in the 70s and now that we've assimilated and we're included it doesn't affect us, but we stand in solidarity with the people who are affected now because we were once refugees.

This interview has been edited and condensed.