Mo Farah responds to Donald Trump travel ban with strong statement on Facebook – ‘He seems to have made me an alien’
British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah says US President Donald Trump's travel ban "seems to have made me an alien".
Farah and his family have been based in the United States for the last six years and his family are there currently while he trains in Ethiopia.
An executive order issued by President Trump banning individuals born in certain countries from entering the States has cast doubt over whether Farah - a British citizen who was born in Somalia - will be able to rejoin his family at the end of the training camp.
The 33-year-old athlete was knighted in the New Year Honours List for his achievements on the track, which include winning the 5,000 metres and 10,000m double at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
On his page, he said: "On January 1 this year, Her Majesty The Queen made me a Knight of the Realm. On January 27, President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien."
Ful statement here:
"On January 1 this year, Her Majesty The Queen made me a Knight of the Realm. On 27th January, President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien.
"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.
"I was welcomed into Britain from Somalia at eight years old and given the chance to succeed and realise my dreams. I have been proud to represent my country, win medals for the British people and receive the greatest honour of a knighthood. My story is an example of what can happen when you follow policies of compassion and understanding, not hate and isolation."
Farah is understood to be trying to establish what effect the ban will have on him as a matter of urgency.