Alberta politicians tweet support for refugees in wake of U.S. travel ban

Alberta politiciansvoiced their support for immigrants and refugees on Saturday, as U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban wreaked havoc and spurred protests at airports across the border.

Issued late Friday,Trump's sweeping immigration order banned visitors fromIraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, leaving some travellers stranded in airports or forced to cancel flights.

• Trump's travel ban leaves Albertan dual-nationals confused, afraid

The executive order was thought to include tens of thousands of dual-citizens in Canada, before the Canadian government said they were assured Canadians travelling on Canadian passports would not be affected by the ban.

After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted support for diversity, Alberta politicians followed suit, using the hashtag#WelcomeToCanada.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notleytweeted her support for refugees, saying: "Refugees enrich our society, making positive contributions to our communities, economy & vibrant cultural fabric.

"Alberta will welcome you with open arms. All people, no matter where they are from, deserve to live in peace."

Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson joined in the conversation on Twitter, saying "the success of Canadian cities depends on diversity and openness which we strive for everyday."

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi retweetedMinister of Immigration Ahmed Hussen, a Somali-Canadian and former refugee who welcomed 21 new Canadians on Saturday at a citizenship ceremony.

Former immigration minister and current Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Jason Kenney shared a storyabout a former staff member who was raised in Iran.

Kenneytweeted his disapproval of the travel ban, calling it a "brutal, ham-fisted act of demagogic political theater."

He called on the Canadian government to offer temporary residency for travellers stranded by Trump's executive order, and criticized the ban, saying it is "not about national security."

"Republicans in Congress who (rightly) challenged President Obama for making law through EOs should now challenge President Trump's EO," Kenneytweeted.

On Saturday night, a federal judge issued an emergency court ruling allowing stranded travellers who were already in the U.S.. to stay in the U.S.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which sought the temporary stay said it would help 100 to 200 people with valid visas or refugee status who found themselves detained in transit or at U.S. airports.

Trump, who took office just over a week ago,promised during his campaign what he called "extreme vetting," saying it would do more to protect Americans from terror attacks.

He told reporters in the Oval Office that his order was "not a Muslim ban" and said the measures were long overdue.

"It's working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over," Trump said.

"We're going to have a very, very strict ban and we're going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years."