Over the weekend President Donald Trump announced his new executive order, which has been nicknamed the 'Muslim ban' and makes it more difficult - and in some cases, impossible - for people from several majority-Muslim countries to enter the US. The move has sparked mass protests and a lot of anger.
As ever, a number of stars have used their voices to denounce the newly-installed President's plans. At last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) Ashton Kutcher decided to speak out about it, as did Stranger Things' David Harbour (Chief Jim Hopper).
Meanwhile, at the Producers Guild of America Awards, also held last night, John Legend decided that he wanted to add his voice to the protests.
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Credit: PGA/YouTube/Scott Feinberg
He said: "Los Angeles is the home of so many immigrants, so many creative people, so many dreamers, and those of us who work in this business have the privilege of shaping how the rest of the world perceives this country we love.
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"We are the voice; we are the face of America. Our America is big, it is free, and it is open to dreamers of all races, all countries, all religions. Our vision of America is directly antithetical to that of President Trump. I want to specifically tonight reject his vision and affirm that America has to be better than that."
He also took the chance to urge Hollywood to stand up against the order, as he said: "There's a lot of money and power in this room and I hope you will use it for something good. Let's all continue to stand up together for what is right."
Credit: PA
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He also added that he and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, were 'conflicted' about attending the awards, knowing what was going on across America.
What is the new executive order?
The new order bars the citizens from seven majority-Muslim counties from entering the US for 90 days. The countries effected are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The ban is so strict that even those carrying green cards, who are legal US residents, have reportedly been barred from re-entering the US.
However, US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a statement that anyone from one of the seven banned countries that was carrying a green card would be not be blocked.
Protests at Los Angeles International Airport. Credit: PA
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Strangely, Trump's ban doesn't block travellers from a number of 'high-terror risk' countries, including Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Egypt.
It will also suspend the US refugee system for a period of 120 days and will suspend the Syrian refugee programme indefinitely.
Protesters at O'Hare airport, Chicago. Credit: PA
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President Trump believes that this type of 'extreme vetting' will help keep 'radical Islamic terrorists out of the US'. The US already has a stringent vetting process for refugees, with applications taking around 18 to 24 months and requiring background checks and interviews with a number of federal agencies.
Since the ban was announced there has been a number of protests in airports across the US as well as huge outpouring of anger from people right across the world. And stories of passengers with valid VISAs and green cards are spreading across social media.
Since the ban has been announced, more than one million people have signed a petition to ban Trump from entering the UK.
Hollywood hitting out
The ban has been the talk of Hollywood this weekend, as several stars have spoken out about the ban. Asghar Farhadi, who has been nominated for an Oscar next month for his film, The Salesman, is from Iran and has been told he 'won't be let into the US'.
John Legend and a number of other high-profile stars have made hefty donations to the American Civil Liberties Union, which will be fighting the order. Singer Sia has pledged to match donations up to $100,000 (£79,700).
A spokesperson from the ACLU told Yahoo News that it has received more than $10 million (£7.9 million) in donations since Saturday.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: John Legend, Donald Trump
