In an op-ed published Thursday in the New York Times, Angelina Jolie quoted GOP icon Ronald Reagan to decry Donald Trump’s executive order suspending the admission of refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries.
“If we create a tier of second-class refugees, implying Muslims are less worthy of protection, we fuel extremism abroad, and at home we undermine the ideal of diversity cherished by Democrats and Republicans alike: ‘America is committed to the world because so much of the world is inside America,’ in the words of Ronald Reagan,” she wrote.
The Oscar-winning actress, who is also a special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, called on the new administration to respond to the challenges of terrorism threats and the global refugee crisis “based on facts, not fear.”
Jolie noted that Trump’s executive order, signed Friday, “has been met with shock by our friends around the world” because of the U.S.’ historic record of “giving shelter to the most vulnerable people.”
While the actress defended the idea of securing the nation’s borders, she wrote, “We can manage our security without writing off citizens of entire countries — even babies — as unsafe to visit our country by virtue of geography or religion.”
Jolie, who divorced her actor husband Brad Pitt last year, described herself as “the mother of six children, who were all born in foreign lands and are proud American citizens.”
The actress joins a chorus of celebrities, business leaders and politicians from both parties who have expressed opposition to Trump’s hastily announced and executed executive order halting the entrance of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran and Syria.