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Western Law takes part in nationwide ‘research-a-thon’ for refugees affected by US travel ban

Western University is hosting the event to promote awareness of concussions and brain trauma in sports. File Photo

Law students at Western University will be joined by hundreds of students from 22 other Canadian universities across Canada Saturday in a research-a-thon in support of refugees affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

The 12-hour-long research event, which will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. coast-to-coast, has been designed by the Canadian Council for Refugees to help research and find ways to challenge the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement.

Under the agreement, those seeking refuge must make a claim in the first country they arrive in. The agreement requires the Canadian government to send back any claimants crossing the border from the U.S., which is described as a “safe third country” by Canada in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

“So what we’re trying to do with this research is prove that the US is no longer a safe refuge for refugees,” event organizer Yasmin Sattarzada told AM980 before the event.

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The travel ban from Trump barred nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. A Seattle-based federal judge granted a nationwide temporary restraining order on the action Friday.

“It’s the first time we’ve [law students from universities across Canada] all worked together…This event ended up mobilizing and gaining this much support in 48 to 72 hours,” Sattarzada said.

“We want to come together as a united front, with a message that the next generation of legal scholars and practitioners will not stand for legislation like the Safe Third Country Agreement that puts individuals at risk,” Sattarzadeh said.

Western Law’s event will take place at the Josephine Spencer Niblett Building (Faculty of Law) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

More on the event can be found here.

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