Trump's old home a showcase for refugees
NEW YORK - US President Donald Trump's childhood home in New York had some new occupants over the weekend - refugees who shared their stories as a way to draw attention to the migrant crisis as the United Nations General Assembly convenes this week with Trump in attendance.
The three-story Tudor-style home in Queens that Trump's father, Fred, built in 1940 is now a rental available on Airbnb that anyone can stay in for $725 a night. It was auctioned off to an unidentified buyer in March for $2.14 million, its second time going up for auction.
The international anti-poverty organization Oxfam rented it on Saturday and invited four refugees to talk with journalists. The Republican president's administration issued travel bans on people from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees. After various court challenges, the Supreme Court last week allowed the restrictive policy on refugees to remain temporarily. The justices will hear arguments on the bans Oct 10.
"We wanted to send a strong message to Trump and world leaders that they must do more to welcome refugees," said Shannon Scribner, acting director for the humanitarian department of Oxfam America.
Trump lived in the house on a tree-lined street of single-family dwellings until he was about 4, when his family moved to another home his father had built nearby.
In an upstairs bedroom, Eiman Ali, 22, looked around at the dark wood floors and a copy of the book Trump: The Art of the Deal on a nearby table and wondered about the home's previous resident.
"Knowing Donald Trump was here at the age of 4 makes me think about where I was at the age of 4," said Ali, her smiling face framed by a dark gray hijab. "We're all kids who are raised to be productive citizens, who have all these dreams and hopes."
Ali was 3 when she arrived in the US from Yemen.
"To have someone so outspoken against my community become the president of the United States was very eyeopening and hurtful because I have invested a lot in this country," she said.
Associated Press
(China Daily 09/19/2017 page11)
