North Texas interfaith and civil rights groupsare speaking out against President Donald Trump's stance on immigration.
Trump is expected to temporarily bar most refugees from entry to the United States and block visas from being issued to citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
"It's no coincidence he's targeting countries which are Muslim majority," said Texas A&M University law professor Sahar Aziz. "He may be trying to hide behind national security, but it's driven primarily by xenophobia and Islamophobia."
Aziz, who was part of a group who gathered outside Irving City Hall, also asked Mayor Beth Duyne to refuse to participate in a summit called "Defending Against Radical Islamic Terrorism in Texas."
The summit is scheduled for Thursday at the state capitol.
The group condemned a survey sent by State Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R- Dist. 73) targeting American Muslim leaders, student groups, and places of worship. The group called the survey "an assault on the dignity of our American-Muslim- Texan friends, neighbors and co-workers."
"The reason people are refugees is because they have situations in those countries that caused them to flee. They're not coming here to be terrorists in the United States," said refugee advocate Vincent Simon. "They've very fearful. They came to this country looking for the American Dream."
